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Case Study: Utilities

⚡ Case Study: Grid Intelligence Transformation – AlpenVolt Utilities (Vision 2035)

 

📋 Executive Summary

AlpenVolt Utilities, a leading integrated electricity and water utility serving 3.2 million customers across Alpine regions, embarked on a strategic transformation to modernize grid operations and workforce planning in response to increasing climate volatility, renewable energy integration, and aging infrastructure. By deploying SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) as the central intelligence platform, AlpenVolt aligned workforce capacity with outage management, seasonal demand fluctuations, and major capital projects while embedding real-time safety and regulatory compliance KPIs. The initiative enabled storm scenario simulation, optimized crew readiness, reduced average restoration time by 34%, and improved capital project delivery by 22%—positioning AlpenVolt as a model for utility transformation in the 2030s.

🎯 Business Challenge

1. Volatile Demand and Climate Exposure

  • Seasonal extremes: Winter heating loads and summer cooling peaks created 40% demand variance across quarters
  • Storm frequency: Climate change increased major weather events by 60% over five years, stressing field crews and emergency response
  • Renewable integration: Wind and solar penetration reached 35% of generation mix, introducing grid balancing complexity

2. Workforce and Safety Alignment

  • Aging workforce: 28% of field technicians and engineers eligible for retirement within three years
  • Safety incidents: Manual crew dispatch and lack of real-time hazard data contributed to 18% increase in near-miss incidents
  • Skills gaps: Transition to smart grid and digital water systems outpaced training programs

3. Capital Project Overruns

  • Delayed infrastructure upgrades: Major grid modernization and water treatment projects averaged 15% over budget and 6 months behind schedule
  • Resource contention: Competing demands from routine maintenance, emergency response, and capital work created chronic bottlenecks
  • Compliance pressure: Regulatory mandates for grid resilience and water quality required accelerated capex execution

4. Fragmented Data and Reporting

  • Siloed systems: Outage management, workforce scheduling, project tracking, and compliance reporting operated in disconnected legacy platforms
  • Lagging insights: Executive dashboards updated weekly; operational teams lacked real-time visibility
  • Manual scenario planning: Storm preparedness and capacity modeling relied on spreadsheets and historical averages

💡 Solution Architecture

SAP Analytics Cloud as Central Intelligence Hub

AlpenVolt implemented SAC to unify operational, financial, and workforce data streams, creating a single source of truth for grid and water operations. The platform was integrated with SAP S/4HANA (

Theme: Human Intelligence for Safer, Greener, and Data‑Driven Utilities

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