ENEL - Smart Grids: Beating the Crisis
Investment in renewable energy technology grew in 2012, with smart grids the chief beneficiary of the increased funding, putting Enel in pole position to take advantage of over a decade of experience in the field
Economic difficulties have not cooled off investment in the more advanced sectors of the energy industry. According to a recent report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, in 2012 worldwide investment in innovative electricity transmission, monitoring and measuring systems amounted to $13.9billion, a seven percent increase on the previous year.
More than half of these investments (about $7.1billion) went to smart meters and related infrastructure and services, while the rest was divided between automation of the distribution network and demonstration projects aimed at managing consumption, smart homes, electric vehicle charging and so on.
The United States was the number one investor in smart grids, despite a considerable reduction of investment compared with 2011. Meanwhile the Chinese market is growing and, according to BNEF forecasts, this year it will overtake the USA.
Investments also grew in the European Union (from $1.1billion to $1.4billion) despite the slow pace at which a number of Member States have begun adopting electronic meters. The true boom of European investment in electronic meters is expected to start from 2014, with Enel in pole position to reap the benefits of more than ten years of research and investment and make smart grids a reality.
