Despite facing a pandemic-related revenue crunch, some utilities are in a strong position to capture several new solar growth opportunities this season.
Declining sales and mounting arrearages have decreased utility revenue, while operational spending workforce protection has improved.
But utilities retain strong access to capital and credit markets for today that can allow them to mostly pursue planned capital spending to guarantee reliability and resiliency; they might defer and trim some jobs (especially those that are categorized as operating expense in nature rather than funding expense), depending upon the depth and duration of the recession and unforeseen elements.
COVID-19 appears to have strengthened the case for cybersecure digital solutions to both address short-term pandemic-related challenges and assist with long-term resilience.
These digital capabilities include:
• Augmented and virtual reality to help utilities manage a remote workforce
• Drones, automation, and asset tracking to improve operational efficiency
• Digital contract management tools, innovative analytics, robotics, artificial intelligence, and cloud-based solutions to support corporate and finance purposes
• Virtual representatives and home energy direction, voice-interactive features, and mobile-friendly options to elevate digital connections with customers
• Expanded cyber defenses to address the higher risk from remote operations.
Utilities may also develop new services that address the new work-from-home normal. For example, utilities may offer businesses behind-the-meter storage solutions to enhance resiliency for critical operations currently being done from a house office.
Another notion would be to help businesses in managing their own carbon footprint reduction plans throughout their networks of employee offices. At length, M&A activity may increase as well-capitalized utilities leverage synergies to conserve costs and expand their geographies, assets, and capacities.
These utilities might also jockey along with other infrastructure, energy, and financial collections to establish leading positions in the energy market by acquiring smaller players, especially in the renewables sector.
As the access to funding and timelines tighten the longer the pandemic and its recessionary tailwinds unfold, smaller programmers unable to continue weathering the crisis will probably bring appealing assets to a fragmented marketplace that bigger utilities could be positioned to merge.
