„“The smart meter is at the heart of the smart grid transformation, and even though infrastructure and customer education are also important, in these early days it’s all about the smart meter,” says Allen Nogee, Research Director. “Even without other changes, a smart meter allows a utility to offer a wider range of electric rates and to greatly reduce the cost of meter reading, which alone can eventually pay for the smart meter. With the large numbers of smart meter deployments forecasted, it naturally follows that many technology solutions will evolve, and that is exactly what is occurring.““ Recent In-Stat research found: – Worldwide powerline is the clear leader in smart meter connectivity, connecting the meter back to the utility. However, we are seeing an increasing number of wireless solutions including cellular, whitespace, and proprietary methods that use unlicensed spectrum and operate in a mesh configuration. – China, the world’s biggest energy consumer, is also the biggest smart meter consumer. – The number of smart meters deployed in the US per year will decrease after peaking in 2011, during which stimulus money drove utilities to update their meters, but worldwide, smart meter deployment will continue to grow. www.in-stat.com