Information systems requirements for a deregulated electric power industry: Assessment and perspectives from the 1996 Informatics Workshop

Abstract

Electric utility restructuring promises to radically alter the information requirements of the electric power industry. In contemplating the impact of restructuring on information flows between and among power generators, distributors, and consumers, two key question arise: (1) what are the information systems (informatics) requirements for a fully competitive electric power industry? And (2) what (if any) is the appropriate role for public agencies in deregulated power markets? In April 1996, speakers at the Workshop on Informatics Requirements for a Restructured Competitive Electric Power Industry addressed these questions. What follows is an initial assessment of key issues surrounding electric utility restructuring, informatics, and public policy concerns followed by a series of speaker perspectives from the Workshop. These perspectives draw together the views of academic, government and industry analysts on the issues of informatics requirements and public involvement in information systems for a deregulated power industry.