A new report by GTM Research forecasts that the smart grid market in Europe will enjoy significant development over the next five years as utilities meet rigorous efficiency mandates and integrate renewable energies into the grid. The study estimates the cumulative European smart grid market will reach €3.1 billion in 2012 and increase to €6.8 billion in 2016, a 120 percent increase.

The Smart Grid in Europe 2012: Technologies, Market Forecasts and Utility Profiles offers an analysis of the technology, economic, and competitive dynamics driving smart grid growth in the European region. The report also compares smart grid evolution in Europe with that of the United States, China, and Japan as well as profiling the smart grid integration models and pilot projects of Europe’s most active utilities, including EDF, ENEL, E.ON, GDF Suez, RWE, Iberdrola, Endesa, Centrica, Vattenfall, EDP, Dong Energy, and Fortum.

The report’s author, Geert-Jan van der Zanden, notes, “There is a confluence of progressive policy, technology advances and utility necessity propelling the smart grid in Europe. We expect an integrated rollout in the region over the next five years that will lead to substantial deployment for each of the smart grid’s major market segments: advanced metering, distribution automation, integration of renewables, electric vehicles and utility IT systems.”

The report examines individual national markets and utilities that are expected to emerge as that integrated rollout begins to take shape and offer opportunities.

Van der Zanden adds: “While the majority of national markets in Europe are advancing smart grid goals, few if any have meaningfully engaged the end-consumer. The next step for these countries and their utilities is to demonstrate the value of home energy management or demand response technologies to their customers; consumer engagement is the key variable in the final business case for smart grid in Europe.”

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