According to The Diffusion Group, new research suggests that those classified as "home office workers" are neither homogenous nor early adopters as once believed. TDG's latest report reveals that while home business owners are more likely than others to subscribe to broadband and own a home network, they are not necessarily more likely to own or be interested in purchasing new media devices or services that do not have any obvious business application. Nearly one-third of self-employed home office workers own home networks, compared to 20 percent of other households. However, they are 19 percent less likely to be using wireless networking technology. "Home office workers include home business owners of many different types as well as full- and part-time telecommuters," says TDG. "In order to understand these consumers properly, it's important to make the right distinctions about the different subgroups included under the home office worker umbrella. By specifically targeting full-time home business owners in our study, we're getting a clearer picture of how this market segment actually works."
What was once a simple, unidirectional flow of electricity from centralized power plants to passive consumers is evolving into a complex, intelligent network where millions of distributed resources actively participate in grid operations. This transformation, powered by smart grid technologies, represents one of the most significant infrastructure shifts of our time. It promises to reshape how we generate, distribute, and consume energy. At its core, the smart grid represents far more than mere digitization of existing infrastructure. This bi-directional capability is fundamental to understanding why smart grids are becoming the backbone of modern energy systems, facilitating everything from real-time demand response to the integration of renewable energy sources. Smart Grid Market Development By 2030, smart grid technologies are projected to cover nearly half of the global electrical grid, up dramatically from just 24 percent in 2025. This expansion is underpinned by explosive gr...