Utilities take wait-and-see approach to smart grid investment, survey finds – NextGov
Despite unprecedented spending to spur investment in smart grid energy technologies — $3.4 billion in the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act — utilities have not embraced the effort.
A recent survey by Oracle found only one in five utilities in North America is moving forward with systemwide smart grid deployment. The company supports technology platforms that enable smart grid components to work effectively and has a business interest in understanding corporate attitudes. It conducted interviews with 150 C-level executives in January, 55 percent in the United States and 45 percent in Canada.
The survey showed executives expect wide-scale adoption of smart grid components during the next decade and they believe consumers will benefit. Yet most — about 80 percent — are not actually moving forward in deploying such technologies across their jurisdictions.
