Digital Lifescapes

The most consequential infrastructure decision an electric utility executive will make this decade has nothing to do with poles, wires, or substations; it's a software decision. The global power grid is undergoing a transformation so fundamental to future economic growth. It's become a total re-imagining of energy generation and optimal delivery. From a predictable, one-way system built around centralized generation, to a dynamic, bidirectional network that must simultaneously balance millions of decentralized inputs, while bracing for the twin pressures of climate volatility and surging demand. For C-suite leaders across energy, technology, and finance, this shift is no longer a horizon event. It is the operational reality of today, and the strategic battleground of the next decade. Grid Intelligence Market Development According to the latest market study by ABI Research, the core Grid Management software market is projected to reach $77.2 billion by 2035. That figure is a pro...

The world's electrical grids require significant modernization to handle the transition to renewable energy sources and enable more efficient energy distribution and consumption. Enter the smart grid that uses digital technologies to automatically monitor energy flows, integrate renewable sources, and self-heal from outages. According to the latest worldwide market study by Juniper Research, the benefits of smart grid adoption include cost savings for utilities, a reduction in environmental impacts, improved grid reliability, and greater consumer control over energy usage. However, significant barriers are slowing widespread smart grid deployment globally. Smart Grid Market Development The financial incentive for utilities to invest in smart grid infrastructure is now overwhelmingly clear. Juniper forecasts that worldwide savings from smart grids in terms of reduced energy and emissions costs will grow from just $84 million in 2024 to $290 billion annually by 2029 -- that's a 2...

In spite of the volatile global semiconductor industry being plagued by ongoing macroeconomic and political disruption issues, the secure microcontroller (MCU) market should continue to prosper. While the forecasted total available market has contracted -- especially in the smart home, retail, advertising, and supply chain spaces -- secure MCU shipments will likely be temporarily affected.  According to the latest worldwide market study by ABI Research, the secure microcontrollers market will grow to reach $2.2 billion by 2026. Secure Microcontroller Market Development "In part, this is due to the niche nature of security demand which commands a higher value proposition," says Michela Menting, research director at ABI Research . In the short term, potential supply chain issues due to trade embargoes and global COVID-19 pandemic quarantines at manufacturing sites will affect availability. Yet, demand for security, especially in general purpose microcontrollers, will ensure the...

Ongoing investment in business technology will remain on track, despite concerns about the global economic outlook which continues to evolve in 2022. Enterprise CIOs and CTOs are focused on operational profitability and digital business growth goals that are enabled by strategic IT initiatives. Global spending on the Digital Transformation (DX) of business practices, products, and organizations is forecast to reach $1.8 trillion in 2022 -- that's an increase of 17.6 percent over 2021, according to the latest market study by International Data Corporation (IDC). Many anticipated DX investments will sustain this pace of growth throughout the 2021-2025 forecast period, with a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.6 percent. Digital Transformation Global Market Development "IDC expects to see aggressive DX technology investment growth in 2022 following a minor slowdown during the pandemic period," said Craig Simpson, senior research manager at IDC . "As orga...

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...

Upgrading electrical grids and water infrastructure around the world with new capabilities -- such as network communications, remote and automated management of elements in the field, and new utility management functionalities -- continues to gain momentum. However, smart infrastructure demand means increased dependence on new technology and communications connectivity, which greatly introduces IT security risks. Smart Utility Market Development The new infrastructure can expand the number of threat vectors, rendering smart utilities vulnerable to cyber attacks. Maintaining resilient electrical power generation and transmission -- as well as water distribution and treatment -- are key to protecting the public utility environment. Therefore, effective cybersecurity must be a function of hardware, software, data, and networks. The modernization of utility infrastructures is enabling increased efficiencies and reliability through digitization, connectivity, and IT-based approach...

Digital transformation has begun to impact the industrial sector where maintaining security is a high priority. According to the findings from a recent survey of U.S. based utility companies, 40 percent of respondents believe that data security is the leading barrier to the adoption of new digital technologies. However, it's clearly a barrier that can be overcome, with 64 percent of large utility organizations expressing a willingness to adopt innovative technologies -- such as Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, and wearable solutions -- within the next twelve months. Utility Technology Market Development "Technological transformation on energy as in the deployment of smart meters, sensors, and other IoT devices embedded into energy infrastructure, presents potential security vulnerabilities such as cyberattacks and threats from hackers, which have the potential to cause catastrophic results," said Raquel Artes, industry analyst at ABI Research . ABI survey findi...

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,...

Most utility companies have a plan to utilize technologies that are key ingredients of the Internet of Things (IoT). As an example, the Smart Grid Sensor market will expand rapidly in the coming decade, with revenues growing nearly ten-fold, according to the latest worldwide market study by IHS. IHS forecasts that while the smart grid sensor market only accounted for less than 20 percent of total sensor sales revenues in 2014, they will account for 75 percent of the total sensor market in 2021. The smart grid sensor market is expected to reach the $100 million mark in 2017. To date, the market for smart grid sensors is centered mainly in North America, where there is a mixture of a few large installations and many smaller pilot projects. There's a pressing need to monitor the electric grid in real-time, and utilities are expected to gain greater value by installing smart grid sensors, which can potentially improve utility operations and performance. The United States marke...

The notion of an Internet of Things (IoT) includes some very practical applications within the home. The global smart thermostats market is expected to grow from 1.3 million in 2013 to 8 million unit shipments in 2018 -- that's  a CAGR of 43 percent, according to the latest market study by ABI Research. Disruptive innovation in thermostats from new entrants such as Nest Labs, ecobee, and EcoFactor has significantly raised the bar for product design and innovation in a device category that had seen little change over several decades. As demand grows in the coming years, smart thermostat global revenues are expected to experience five-fold growth to reach $600 million by 2018. Currently, North America is the most lucrative market for smart thermostats, contributing more than half the worldwide total. Driving this region’s dominant market share is a tech-savvy population adopting smart mobile devices packed with low-cost wireless sensors, an expanding install base of buildings...

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...

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...

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...