Cellular smart meter market to climb... and climb

We asked readers recently if cellular-equipped smart meters had reached a tipping point. At least one research firm says that's a yes. A new report from market research and consultancy firm IMS Research forecasts dramatic growth in the cellular smart electric meter market – from 2.6 million shipments annually as of 2010 to 9.5 million in 2016. IMS also says the largest volumes are expected in the US and the UK.

Report author Roland Campos said "The US and UK are forecast to experience the largest volumes of cellular shipments through 2016 for distinct reasons. In the US, telecoms have reduced the cost of data plans for meters significantly to about $1 (or less) per meter, per month. Utilities that wish to reduce up front capital expenditures by over 40% and reduce operating expenses are finally realizing the benefits of using public cellular providers."

The lower operating costs are the result of cutting back or eliminating networking and communications staff required to maintain a metering network. Campos added that the most opportunities for new smart meter deployments in the US probably will come from smaller utilities that have geographically widespread populations with varied geographies.

And, smaller utilities generally have less money to spend and frequently don't get the tax write-offs that are available to large fixed-capital investment projects. He also observed that as telecoms lower the total cost of cellular-based smart meter systems, smaller utilities will migrate to the cellular option – and that larger utilities in the US and elsewhere may investigate collaborating with local telecoms "to make cellular a more viable option."

Learn More about Smart Grid

What is a Smart Grid?
“Smart grid” generally refers to a class of technology people are using to bring utility electricity delivery systems into the 21st century, using computer-based remote control and automation. These systems are made possible by two-way communication technology and computer processing that has been used for decades in other industries. They are beginning to be used on electricity networks, from the power plants and wind farms all the way to the consumers of electricity in homes and businesses. They offer many benefits to utilities and consumers -- mostly seen in big improvements in energy efficiency on the electricity grid and in the energy users’ homes and offices.For a century, utility companies have had to send workers out to gather much of the data needed to provide electricity. The workers read meters, look for broken equipment and measure voltage, for example. Most of the devices utilities use to deliver electricity have yet to be automated and computerized. Now, many options and products are being made available to the electricity industry to modernize it.
The “grid” amounts to the networks that carry electricity from the plants where it is generated to consumers. The grid includes wires, substations, transformers, switches and much more.
Much in the way that a “smart” phone these days means a phone with a computer in it, smart grid means “computerizing” the electric utility grid. It includes adding two-way digital communication technology to devices associated with the grid. Each device on the network can be given sensors to gather data (power meters, voltage sensors, fault detectors, etc.), plus two-way digital communication between the device in the field and the utility’s network operations center. A key feature of the smart grid is automation technology that lets the utility adjust and control each individual device or millions of devices from a central location.
The number of applications that can be used on the smart grid once the data communications technology is deployed is growing as fast as inventive companies can create and produce them. Benefits include enhanced cyber-security, handling sources of electricity like wind and solar power and even integrating electric vehicles onto the grid. The companies making smart grid technology or offering such services include technology giants, established communication firms and even brand new technology firms.

How it works?
With traditional utility technology, when a tree limb falls on a power line and creates an outage, for example, the utility finds out only when a customer calls to complain. With a smart grid system, devices along the network can automatically tell the utility exactly when and where an outage occurred, close the circuit at that location, to “island” the fault, re-route power around failed equipment and create a detailed “trouble ticket” for a repair crew.
Traditionally, electric utilities estimate that a certain type of equipment is likely to wear out after so many years and thus replaces every piece of that technology within that many years -- even devices that have much more useful life left in them. A smart grid system can spot failing grid devices before they give out, letting the utility use a much more cost effective replacement strategy.
When customers are given access to data about their own power use, they can change their habits to be more efficient and save money. Customers will eventually be able to see how the price of electricity changes depending on the time of day it is used, and they will be able to shift their use of the product to times when it is cheaper.
The biggest cost savings in using smart grid may be found in improved efficiency of electricity-delivery operations. For example, once the voltage is known and updated frequently all around a utility’s grid, the utility can work much more efficiently. Rather than supplying extra voltage into the grid to cover possible dips somewhere on that grid, voltage drops can be identified and addressed remotely. Such a direct response lets the utility supply the minimum amount of voltage needed for smooth operations. Utilities testing this benefit in the real world are reporting big cost savings almost immediately.