Dive Summary:
- Global investment in smart grid technologies rose seven percent last year, spurred on mostly by the need to update aging grid infrastructure.
- The U.S. lead the world in smart grid investments despite a decline in overall investments, while China was second thanks to a 14 percent increase that brought their total to $3.2 billion.
- The decline in U.S. investments was partly due to the expiration of federal funding programs associated under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
From the article:
"China's rising investment in smart grid technologies stems from its plans to update its poorly designed and inefficient transmission system, and China is poised to surpass the United States in smart grid investment in 2013. Other countries in Asia are also investing in smart grid technologies and deployments. South Korea, as of February 2012, had deployed smart meters to fewer than a million households, or roughly 4 percent. And Japan is already home to one of the most efficient electricity grids in the world, with distribution losses averaging 4.9 percent over the period 2000 to 2010. ...