GEODE - Bringing Intelligence to the Grids - Case Studies
OVERVIEW - Smart Meter roll-out in Europe
The Electricity Directive in the Third Energy Package, Directive 2009/72/EC1, envisages the installation of Smart Meters for at least ?80% of customers by 2020, subject to a cost-benefit assessment on long-term cost and benefits to the market and the individual consumer or which form of intelligent metering is economically reasonable and costeffective and which timeframe is feasible for their distribution?.
Despite the ambitious plan for 80% market penetration of smart meters by 2020, the current figures, at the end of 2013, are still low, in particular in the newer European Member States, and shows that countries within Europe are at different stages and they are moving ahead at different speeds.
The Nordic countries Sweden and Finland are currently leading in the smart meter rollout with 100% and close to 80% of meters installed respectively, next is Italy with over 95%. Norway is also well advanced.
Other countries such as Spain, Austria, GB, Ireland, the Netherlands, France and Estonia are going ahead with the process and have already mandated the smart meter roll-out with a specified timetable. There are different deadlines in each country from 2017 to 2020.
In Denmark, the DSOs have rolled-out smart meters to 60% of customers without any legal decision, which is however expected to be taken shortly. The Netherlands should come up with a decision for a roll-out by the end of this year. In Germany no decision has been taken yet for a full roll-out.
Belgium has decided not to install smart meters based on a negative cost-benefit analysis, the same is the case in the Czech Republic.
If we consider gas, the market penetration across the European Union is still much lower. The Gas Directive2 does not establish a specific deadline for the roll-out of smart meters. Nevertheless some countries have already decided on a mandatory roll-out. This is only the case in GB, Ireland, Italy and The Netherlands, while most of the others have not
taken a decision yet.
Both figures: source Geode