Electric utilities are facing upheaval on a number of fronts: Deregulation is a global trend, even as distributed generation (DG) cuts into the utility’s core business of selling electricity to businesses and consumers. The proliferation of DG installations, along with electric vehicles (EVs), is changing the load profile of distribution circuits, often in concentrated neighborhoods, which can mean reduced grid stability and increased need for infrastructure upgrades. Meanwhile, environmental concerns are forcing utilities to rely upon more eco-friendly generation – often at a higher cost – even as they must implement programs designed to cut electric power consumption even further. This dichotomy is not sustainable.
These factors and others are behind the major trends that Navigant Research has identified for the smart grid industry in 2015 and beyond. This white paper outlines these major trends and market forces affecting utilities and smart grid vendors worldwide. The selection of these major trends was based on industry research conducted throughout 2014. They include:
- Prosumers prod the traditional model
- Smart metering 2.0: Maximizing the bang for the advanced metering infrastructure buck
- Smart edge: More utility solutions leverage distributed intelligence and automation
- “Your power is out; we are working on it.”: Utilities get jiggy with social media and mobile devices for customer engagement
- Smart grid as a service: Moving from hype cycle to real world product
- The push and pull of DR: Default dynamic pricing and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Order 745
- Just the FACTS, ma’am: Flexible alternating current transmission system deployments rise in step with power plant decommissioning
- High-voltage transmission getting in synch
- Holistic health for utilities: Regulators tweaking the utility recipe, but are there too many cooks in the kitchen?
- A more worldly smart grid industry: Europe and Asia Pacific especially poised for growth over the next several years
This Navigant Research white paper provides insights into key issues that will shape the smart grid market in the months and years ahead, with summary forecasts for five smart grid application areas. Each of the topics in this white paper is examined more deeply in Navigant Research market overview reports.
Key Questions Addressed:
- How are electric vehicles (EVs), distributed generation (DG), and energy storage affecting the utility business model?
- How does the next generation of smart meter technology differ from advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) 1.0?
- What does grid-edge intelligence mean for utility operations?
- How are utilities engaging with their customers via social media and mobile devices?
- How are hosted and managed services changing utility buying habits?
- What are the latest developments affecting demand response?
- What new technologies are being deployed in the high-voltage transmission network and why?
- How are regulators responding to new utility business model challenges?
Who needs this report?
- Smart grid technology vendors
- Service providers and systems integrators
- Networking and communications suppliers
- Utilities
- Government agencies
- Investor community