Senior Managing Director, Business Development
Mr. Bettencourt is a Senior Managing Director in Management Consulting and is responsible for our Canadian practice and our Electrification of Transportation offerings globally. Mr. Bettencourt is a recognized thought leader in the fields of grid modernization and a pioneer in fleet electrification.
Alex is optimistic about the future of the electric utility and has a vision for real rate base and bottom-line growth. He is a pioneer in driving new electrification programs in transportation and heating and believes the electric utility should be at the centre of this energy shift. His vision and leadership in these areas can help launch twenty-year growth cycle for utilities. In additional to the opportunities ahead, he has the experience and knowledge to manage the many risks facing today’s utilities. His experience with PG&E program of wildfire mitigation can help drive new ideas to improve utility resiliency for both summer (forest fires) and winter (ice storms) that will become more likely in the coming years. He is also well versed in the cyber risks facing the modern utility having organized pan-Canadian forums on cyber security.
Alex is forward-looking with a keen eye and understanding of emerging technology. He has deep connections in the industry, having become a leader in smart grid. He has advised various utility clients around North America and internationally, and founded SmartGrid Canada, a national organization advocating for the modernization of power grids. He has been asked to speak at industry conferences around the world and been designated a national expert by the Government of Canada. He has been chosen to represent Canada at the international level, including at International Energy Agency and Clean Energy Ministerial events.
Alex has been instrumental to many of the new unregulated business ideas utilities are pursuing in Ontario. He pioneered the concept of a behind-the-meter generation business for commercial and industrial customers within the utility, working with the strategy group and partners to get from concept to business plan. He also drove internally the concepts for both a passenger electric vehicle charging network (Ivy) and a heavy-duty electric truck charging business and won government funding for both ideas. He has worked to understand the value of utility data to create new analytics that will serve both the utility and other government and industry stakeholders.
Alex is a subject matter expert in control room operations having spent his entire career focused on the utility control center. Alex has deep expertise in OMS and DMS control systems. He has worked with multiple utilities to develop a vision for its distribution control systems to leverages operational, customer and asset data to drive OM&A savings. He has both the business side knowledge to understand organizational impacts as well as the technical side knowledge to drive a successful implementation.
Alex has also worked to set regulatory strategy for grid modernization in Ontario. Having written the regulatory evidence for smart grid rate case submissions, Alex has extensive experience with the electricity regulatory framework and obtaining regulatory approval for new initiatives. He has written complex RFPs and has negotiated on behalf of his utility clients to obtain the best terms with global industrial players such as Schneider Electric, IBM and GE.
While he not an engineer by training, he has developed a deep set of knowledge in the operational side of both the transmission and distribution grids over his twenty-year career in utilities. He has led multiple large projects that have spanned the breadth of the utility, including transmission station upgrades, control centre upgrades, distribution modernization and technology projects. He is well-versed in the technical aspects of building and operating the power grid.
