Development smart grids Spain - Futured

Development smart grids Spain. FutuRed - BCGII.2.Impetus from public administrationsto smart grid developmentBoost from governments is a key driver in the development of smart grids, since their deploymentwould be much slower without public investments in technology and appropriate promotionpolicies. Experience shows that in those countries where governments have set ambitioussmart metering objectives like Italy and Sweden, the penetration degree is higher.Figure 8: Expected public investment in smart grids (€M)Source: Each country’s Ministry of Energy, The Boston Consulting GroupThe United States has established different regulatory mechanisms that foster smart grids,including the need to analyze smart meters’ potential and demand management, and the possibilityof recovering part of the investment through tariffs for end consumers. It is worth pointingout that around $4,500M from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act budget, establishedin 2009, have been allocated to modernizing the power grid in the next few years, so thateach state can directly earmark up to €200M to smart grid projects. Other mechanisms put inplace by the United States’ Administration include the implementation of interoperability standarddevelopment plans as well as the setting up of a roadmap for the industry.China seems to have also gone for the implementation of smart grids decisively. In its lastfive-year plan (2011-2015), with a budget of more than €5,000M allocated to improving thepower grid, around €1,600M were for investments in smart grids.31