Abstract
Between 2018 and 2023 the penetration rate of electricity smart meters in the European Union (EU) is expected to grow from approximately 44% to 71%. The unprecedently rapid development of smart metering (SM) as an ICT-enabled technological novelty is progressing in a complex, multi-actor innovation system, which is strongly driven by EU-level institutions and policies. This paper presents the comprehensive Technology Innovation System (TIS) analysis of electricity SM development in the EU, with a focus placed on regulatory aspects. The article identifies the key elements of the SM innovation system (technologies and infrastructures; actors and networks; institutions and policies) and characterises their interaction based on an in-depth desk research and a critical assessment of regulations, statistics and primary and grey literature sources (e.g., market reports). The main enablers and barriers for EU-level SM TIS development are studied. The major driving force for EU-level SM TIS is the clear, yet evolving vision of EU-level actors for the SM deployment, founded on the grounds of energy conservation and empowerment of customers. On the other hand, the major inhibitor is the insufficient regulatory framework for roll-outs at the level of a Member State, which does not fully ensure interoperability, data protection and security standards or organisational effectiveness.
Highlights
Smart metering (SM) has multiple definitions [1,2,3,4,5]
In this article we identify the key elements of the SM innovation system in the European Union (EU) and characterise their interaction based on a set of functions of the innovation approach inspired by [14]
He was the father of subsequent generations of active power meters, including the induction meters
Summary
A common understanding of SM considers it as a combination of an electronic meter and a communication link. An electronic meter computes how much energy is consumed based on electronic signals and sends this information to other devices. Smart meters are predominantly based on wireless technologies to allow for a two-way communication between a user and a utility supplier. It converts end users into energy customers who become aware of individual energy consumption and it enables them to undertake appropriate actions directly, aiming at energy consumption reduction with different second order objectives, like minimising the energy cost, meeting environmental goals or increasing local energy security. SM can be considered as a control system with the role of providing feedback to the energy system participants
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