Abstract
This paper is the first country-specific analysis of the market-driven Smart Metering innovation system, covering technologies, actors, and policies. It provides new insights on the key enablers and barriers in the rollout of electricity Smart Meters (SMs) without binding regulatory mandate. The presented research is based on the Technology Innovation System (TIS) analysis for Poland, where an obligation scheme for the rolling out of SMs has been introduced very recently. Still, the number of SMs installed places the country in the top 10 Member States of the European Union. The implementation of SMs is progressing in a complex, multi-actor innovation system, shaped by the leading role of Distribution System Operators (DSOs). The article analyses the key elements of the SM innovation system (technologies and infrastructures, actors and networks, institutions and policies) and characterizes their interaction based on desk research and a critical assessment of regulations, statistics, and literature. The major enablers of the rollout are DSOs expectations of benefits, which have been instigated by the market regulator’s benevolence in tariffs approval. On the other hand, the major barriers are delayed and incomplete public policy instruments. Results of the study can inform the development of other market-driven SM deployments around the world.
Highlights
In 2009, the European Union (EU) Directive 2009/72/EC was introduced
Technologies and infrastructures, with regard to which we analyze the past development of Smart Meters (SMs) technologies and infrastructures in which SMs are rolled out; Actors and networks in the SM rollout, with regard to which we map key stakeholders, i.e., public and private institutions as well as their collaboration platforms; Policy instruments affecting SM rollouts, with regard to which we follow the classification of the policy instruments of Peñasco, Verdolini, and Larkin [29]
The major push for SM Technology Innovation System (TIS) development in Poland comes from the energy industry, which started the pilot activities following the signal of benevolence from the regulator
Summary
In 2009, the European Union (EU) Directive 2009/72/EC was introduced. It required that at least 80% of consumers shall be equipped with Smart Meters (SMs) by 2020, where the rollout of SMs is evaluated positively by Member States [1]. Each EU Member State was left to decide whether the national SM rollout was economically sound and to choose between a mandated and a market-driven approach. In 2012, Poland assessed that the long-term benefits of SMs rollout would exceed the costs [3]. The analysis identified several types of benefits for different stakeholders of the energy system: energy savings of final users and simpler supplier change (benefits for customers), reduced time to issue an invoice and new options of demand management (benefits for suppliers), reduction of commercial and technical losses, decrease of meter readings cost, and limiting peak power demand (benefits for Distribution System Operators (DSOs)). Poland was included in the group of 17 EU
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