Utilities Company Innovation Is Key to Addressing Climate Change and Energy Costs

Market Wire, June, 2008

Innovation is critical for utilities companies as they come to grips with higher energy costs, increasing customer involvement and the need for more efficient, more flexible distribution grids.

The latest Energy & Utilities Project report entitled "Innovating for the Future," the eighth annual volume of thought leadership published by Montgomery Research, Inc. and IBM Global Business Services, shows that the solutions to these challenges will be driven by innovation and enabling technologies.

"Innovating for the Future" features white papers from industry visionaries like Lynne Keisling of Northwestern University; international leaders such as Barry K. Worthington, Executive Director of the United States Energy Association and John Ritch, Director General of the World Nuclear Association; and industry analysts such as Energy Insight's H. Christine Richards, all of whom examine the innovations that will take utilities into the future.

Specific white paper topics include customer-focused utilities, the impact of smart pricing, smart grid technologies and trends in alternative energy generation. The report also includes profiles of leading solution providers in the energy and utilities sector, including IBM, Oracle, Televox, Panasonic, Alcatel-Lucent and Areva.

"We're excited by the developments in the industry featured in this year's volume of The Energy and Utilities Project," said Cary Harmon, Associate Partner for IBM Global Business Services within the Energy & Utilities industry. "In the next few years, utilities will continue to innovate to help address climate change, assist customers in controlling their energy costs, improve the quality of service, adapt to changes in generation technologies, and drive profitable growth."

"The energy and utilities industry is in a period of extraordinary transformation. This report is a major contribution to understanding the technologies that will be key to managing increased energy costs and climate change," said Chris Trayhorn, CEO of Montgomery Research. "No other industry has such an opportunity to make a difference. 'Innovating for the Future' shows the way."

To order a copy of The Energy and Utilities Project: "Innovating for the Future" please call (415) 397-2400 or fill out the subscription form online at utilitiesproject.com

For more information on IBM, please visit www.ibm.com/energy

About Montgomery Research

Montgomery Research publishes thought leadership initiatives that focus on the convergence of business and technology. Montgomery Research works in partnership with e-business visionaries and experts to define industry trends. Find out more about Montgomery Research at www.mriresearch.com .

Yvonne Schellerup Director of Marketing Montgomery Research 415-397-2400 y.schellerup@mriresearch.com