Pike Research Launches Smart Grid Advisory Service

BOULDER, Colo.--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--Today Pike Research announced the launch of its new Smart Grid Advisory Service, a subscription-based information tool that provides market intelligence and strategy insights for companies in the rapidly evolving energy technology sector. The service covers grid automation, smart metering, and energy management applications that are defining the next generation of the electrical grid.

“The worldwide electrical grid is perhaps the greatest technical innovation of the 20th century, delivering the life blood for technology advances in computing and communications that have occurred in recent decades”

“The worldwide electrical grid is perhaps the greatest technical innovation of the 20^th century, delivering the life blood for technology advances in computing and communications that have occurred in recent decades,” says managing director Clint Wheelock. “Ironically, however, the grid itself has not yet taken full advantage of the integrated intelligence of the IT and telecom products that it enables. But all of that is changing quickly now, and this transition will yield significant innovation for electricity customers, as well as a period of dramatic transformation for the utility industry.”

As part of its Smart Grid service, Pike Research’s industry analysts offer timely and actionable market insights, covering specific technology and business sectors as well as overall market conditions and trends. Research reports include an in-depth examination of business models, technology issues, policy and regulatory factors, the competitive landscape, and market sizing, segmentation and forecasting.

A few of Pike Research’s key forecasts about the emerging smart grid industry include the following:

• Smart Meter installations will grow quickly over the next several years, with global penetration rates reaching 18% by 2015. Penetration will be highest in North America at 56% and Europe at 39%, and total installed smart meters will reach 250 million by that time.

• Despite the growth in advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), smart meters are just the beginning with regard to the broader smart grid market opportunity. Grid automation initiatives including transmission upgrades, substation automation, and distribution automation will represent 84% of the total smart grid market.

• Microgrids that enable “islanded” power generation and distribution will be another important growth market in the coming years, with $7.8 billion in cumulative investment by 2015. North America will be the leading region for microgrid deployments.

• Cyber Security for the smart grid is an area of increasing concern for utilities worldwide, and this market will grow from $1.2 billion in 2009 to $4.1 billion by 2013.

• Home Energy Management tools including in-home display devices, web dashboards, and mobile applications represent a vital user interface for the smart grid, and Energy Information Display users will reach 28 million worldwide by 2015.

Pike Research’s Smart Grid Advisory Service provides detailed analysis of utility smart grid deployments and construction of microgrids at the sub-utility scale, examination of business models and technology issues including scalability and security, and quantification of the smart grid market opportunity across different sectors. The service includes access to more than 15 of the firm’s in-depth Research Reports per year, in addition to unlimited Analyst Inquiry access. Executive Summaries and further information about the Advisory Service are available for free download on Pike Research’s website.

Pike Research is a market research and consulting firm that provides in-depth analysis of global clean technology markets. The company’s research methodology combines supply-side industry analysis, end-user primary research and demand assessment, and deep examination of technology trends to provide a comprehensive view of the Smart Energy, Clean Transportation, Clean Industry, Corporate Sustainability, and Building Efficiency sectors. For more information, visit www.pikeresearch.com or call +1.303.284.9609.