Digital Lifescapes

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...

The electric distribution industry continues to invest in digital transformation projects. Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) technology is becoming a driver for connected electricity meters, which will reach an installed base of 1.3 billion by 2027. AMI growth is prompting utilities and energy suppliers to revisit their IT infrastructure security and device management operations, according to the latest worldwide market study by ABI Research. Energy Infrastructure Security Market Development Digitization of traditional electricity grids and the modernization of the aging energy infrastructure is among the top concerns for utility operators and governments worldwide. Security for last-mile energy consumption applications was frequently overlooked. "However, the introduction of AMI, smart metering, and grid digitization is steadily increasing spending for secure management services, assisting implementers to transition to IT (information technologies) and OT (operational techno...

The Internet of Things (IoT) has numerous applications within the energy and utility sector. As an example, smart meter penetration in North America is forecast to reach 81 percent by 2024. A smart meter is a new kind of gas and electricity meter that can digitally send meter readings to the energy supplier for more accurate consumption readings. Smart meters can also provide in-home displays that enable the consumer to better monitor and manage their energy usage. According to the latest worldwide market study by Berg Insight, the installed base of smart electricity meters in North America will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 8 percent between 2018 and 2024 to reach 142.8 million units at the end of the forecast period. Smart Meter Market Development Over the next five years, smart meter penetration among electricity customers in the U.S. and Canada is projected to increase from around 60 percent in 2018 to more than 80 percent by the end of 2024. "North Americ...

Smart City projects have gained momentum over the last decade, as more municipalities across North American have launched a wide variety of digital transformation initiatives. That said, some cities have achieved significant outcomes that enable them to improve services for citizens. Los Angeles, New York, Chicago are the smartest cities in the United States, according to the latest market study by ABI Research. Cities were evaluated across various metrics such as deployment of LED streetlights, smart meters, renewable energy, electric mobility, smart parking, mobility-as-a-service (MaaS), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technologies, smart waste, and first responder communications. American Smart City Project Assessment "New York is the leading city with the highest deployment of LED streetlights in the U.S., followed closely by Los Angeles," said Raquel Artes, analyst at ABI Research . Chicago will have the highest upgrade of current legacy streetlights as the local gov...

The manufacture and distribution of energy is evolving, just like all the other sectors that adopt Industry 4.0 production methodologies. Across the globe more utility companies are seeking ways to reduce cost and increase efficiency in their infrastructure operations. The most progressive have applied smart technologies. In its latest study on smart metering, ABI Research estimates that smart meter deployments -- led by energy and water utilities -- will result in a global installed base of more than 1.1 billion smart meters within the next five years. Smart electricity meters will constitute the largest share, occupying more than 72 percent of the overall installed base of smart meters, but research suggests water meters are on track to witness the most overall growth. "The global smart meter market for electricity and gas is reaching a degree of maturity, as utilities in most regions are either in advanced stages of rollouts or have laid out plans for phased deployment,...

Local government CIOs across the globe have been planning to introduce new technology-based services into their communities. New digital services may be coming to a municipality near you, perhaps as soon as 2015. A smart city is one that has digital technology embedded across all city functions. The global smart city market will be valued at $1.565 trillion in 2020, according to the latest worldwide market study by Frost & Sullivan. Over 26 global cities are expected to be smart cities in 2025 -- with more than 50 percent of these smart cities from Europe and North America. By 2025, it is expected that around 58 percent of the world's population -- about 4.6 billion people -- will live in urban areas. In developed regions and cities, the urban population in cities could account for up to 81 percent of total population. This will pose serious challenges for city planners, who will have to re-think how they provide basic city services to residents in a sustainable manner. ...

Smart home installations can include multiple networks -- both wired and wireless. Typically, the wireless standard used for device interconnection is either Wi-Fi or ZigBee, depending on the application. According to the latest market study by ABI Research, ZigBee enabled device shipments will grow to almost 400 million units per annum in 2018 -- with demand being driven by the adoption of this wireless technology to enable new smart home services. "Since 2006 we have seen steady growth in ZigBee enabled device shipments. The initial major growth engine was the smart meter market which adopted ZigBee, particularly for U.S. smart meter rollouts," said Peter Cooney, practice director at ABI Research . While smart meters still account for a significant amount of the market, today it is home entertainment devices -- in particular pay-TV set-top boxes, which are the main driver of ZigBee market growth. In 2012 home entertainment took over from smart meters as the largest...

Wireless connectivity technology continues to evolve to accommodate the communication needs of a variety of new digital devices. As an example, annual shipments of 802.15.4 enabled devices are forecast to grow more than five times from 2012 to 2018 -- with a CAGR of over 30 percent. ZigBee continues to be the primary driver toward standardization and interoperability and will see further strong growth across many markets, accounting for almost 80 percent of total 802.15.4-enabled device shipments in 2018. "It’s been quite a turbulent time for ZigBee over the last couple of years," said Peter Cooney, practice director at ABI Research . Markets that seemed to be sure-fire bets for rapid growth -- such as smart meters -- have not delivered what was expected, while smart home markets continue to flourish. There are a number of markets that the ZigBee Alliance and its members have targeted, and many standards have been developed to address them. To date, most of the focu...

The various utility applications for communications networks and associated investment in infrastructure will grow rapidly in 2013, according to the latest market study by ABI Research. Moreover, spending by utilities transitioning their networks to Smart Grid capabilities reached $23.68 billion in 2012. Highlighting the growing momentum behind the spending, the 2012 total alone represents 48 percent of Smart Grid spending to date. During the year, spending on transmission and distribution capabilities surpassed smart meter investments as utilities increasingly looked to improve their core networks and maximize the benefits of their growing Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) deployments. "Utilities are investing in the roll-out of a broad assortment of new applications and spending is driving new services from a wide range of vendors and consultants,” says Jonathan Collins, principal analyst at ABI Research . The complexity of the new hardware, applications, and the...

According to the latest market study by ABI research, the wireless sensor network market, led by the ZigBee standard, grew ten-fold from 2007 to 2010 and exceeded 45 million annual shipments in 2011. "Strong growth is expected for 2012 and beyond as ZigBee pervades the home automation and home entertainment markets, while Smart Meters continue to be rolled out across the globe,” said Peter Cooney, wireless connectivity practice director at ABI Research . Smart metering is the largest market for ZigBee in 2012 and will continue to be the major market growth driver as global roll outs of smart meters continue apace. ZigBee/RF4CE use in the home environment will also be a major growth driver. Home automation and home entertainment together are forecast to grow to over $300 million per annum by 2017. Until quite recently ZigBee/RF4CE has been the lead choice for interoperable low power wireless connectivity in the home automation and home entertainment markets and one look at ...

The Smart Grid initiative is an enormous effort -- intended to modernize aging electrical distribution and delivery infrastructure across the world. The global scale alone makes this a colossal task. Complicating this effort is the incredible variety of electrical systems throughout the world, and the vast maze of utilities that are currently managing them. Just in the U.S. market alone, there are more than 3,000 separate utilities, local governments, and private companies operating America's electrical grid. According to the latest market study by NPD In-Stat , they now forecast that by 2016, over 75 percent of all U.S. electric meters will be converted to smart meters. "Over the next five years, and for decades thereafter, the world will be deploying the smart grid," says Allen Nogee, Research Director at NPD In-Stat. Initially, most of this effort will be directed at smart meters, but once those are out, client devices, software, and home automation equipment...

The M2M market has become a fully mainstream segment of the mobile network service provider industry. By the end of 2011, most major mobile operators in North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region had established M2M business units to focus their efforts in this fast growing market. According to the latest market study by ABI Research, the market for cumulative cellular M2M connections will rise from about 110 million connections in 2011 to approximately 365 million connections by 2016. This increase represents a compounded annual growth rate of about 27 percent by 2016 -- and translates to about $35 billion in connectivity services revenue. The two largest cellular M2M market segments over the forecast period, by revenue, will be automotive telematics and smart energy. Automotive telematics, including factory-installed systems such as GM’s OnStar service, aftermarket services such as usage-based insurance, and fleet management systems, will together represent more than ...

Modernizing the legacy electrical grid systems around the world is long overdue, with many parts of the grid more than 100 years old. Undertaking this huge transformation hasn’t been easy to accomplish or attainable at a low cost. Not only does the world’s electrical system require updates due to age, but as usage increases, and the building of more power plants becomes more difficult, upgrading the "Smart Grid" becomes a requirement, not an option. Deploying the smart grid requires hundreds of millions of smart meters. Worldwide, smart meter deployments continue to grow, driven in large part by very large deployments in China where new In-Stat research forecasts that the deployment of smart meters will reach 280 million by 2016. “The smart meter is at the heart of the smart grid transformation, and even though infrastructure and customer education are also important, in these early days it’s all about the smart meter,” says Allen Nogee, Research Director at In-S...

Creating 3D video content is gaining momentum in Hollywood. The excitement over 3D has also found its way to the U.S. consumer electronics market. By 2013, one in five new televisions sold in America will be 3D, according to the latest market study by In-Stat . Year-over-year shipment growth will be 231 percent between 2010 and 2011 -- resulting in a doubling of the U.S. installed base of units for 3D TVs from 2010 to 2011. "High definition (HD) did create a wave of activity in the U.S. market, not seen since the introduction of color," says Stephanie Ethier, In-Stat analyst. "3DTV promises to be the next significant innovation wave for living room entertainment." Despite many bright spots in the U.S. consumer electronics (CE) market, there will be losers in the market. Maturing segments like MP3 audio players, handheld video games and desktop PCs will show declining growth rates in 2012 and 2013. According to the In-Stat assessment, products with broader f...

With over eight million smart meters already deployed in the U.S., the market for residential energy management (REM) has taken the first significant steps in deploying Smart Grid technologies and advanced meter infrastructure (AMI) on a broad scale, according to the latest market study from Parks Associates. The international research firm, which recently completed the report Residential Energy Management: Company, Alliance & Technology Profiles, says these deployments will open up significant opportunities for companies in the REM value chain. Public, private, and consumer factors are all driving this growth, and the Federal stimulus bill, with the support of the Obama Administration, allocates $11 billion for smart grid initiatives through 2010. "Already over six percent of all U.S. meters are smart meters, and utilities throughout the U.S. are announcing new deployments and pilot programs daily," said Bill Ablondi, home systems research, Parks Associates. "We com...