Dive Brief:
- Utility spending on communications technology to support the development of smart grids is rapidly growing, according to a report from Navigant Research. By 2018, the number of communication node shipments for smart grid use will exceed 133.3 million, the report, "Smart Grid Networking and Communications," said.
- The increase in shipments from an estimated 91.8 million in 2013 will be fueled by cooperative efforts among industry and vendors to adopt standards-based technologies that can be used more interchangeably. The effort represents a move to less reliance on proprietary systems.
Dive Insight:
This new report from Navigant Research is the latest forecast that establishes the inevitable build-out of a new transmission grid for the nation by utilities driven by market forces and not government regulation.