Utilities throughout the U.S. ratcheted up efforts to implement smart grid technologies over the past year, according to a new study.
The findings of the Microsoft/OSIsoft Worldwide Utility Industry Survey 2012 were released on Tuesday, and the organization noted that 25 percent more utilities implemented smart grid technologies over the past 12 months than in the year prior. The survey also concluded that 28 percent of companies are currently planning to expand their smart grid offerings.
Moreover, 63 percent of utilities surveyed by the organizations affirmed they expect their budgets for smart grid technologies to significantly increase over the next two to three years. Still, the survey also found that 24 percent of utilities have thus far failed to incorporate any kind of smart grid technology into their power supply networks.
The U.S. electric grid is an antiquated system of transmission and distribution networks that is struggling to keep pace with the nation's rising population. Large segments of the power supply network were constructed decades ago and as a result, power providers are also struggling to effectively tie in renewable energy systems.
This year's iteration of the survey found that utilities that said they had failed to incorporate smart grid technologies into their offerings often cited technical issues as stymieing their efforts.
"This year's survey shows that more and more utilities companies are adding new devices to the grid and incorporating new data sets into their operational capabilities," Microsoft worldwide power and utilities industry managing director Jon C. Arnold said in a statement. "However, many of these same organizations are encountering significant interoperability and integration challenges. Leveraging technology and architectures that are adaptable removes many of the technology risks."
Nevertheless, while more utilities are investing in smart grid technologies, a large number of such companies are still struggling to develop an overarching system to aid in future installation projects. Seventy-two percent of survey respondents asserted they had no enterprise scalable architecture that would aid in current and future smart grid deployment.
The survey also concluded that a majority of utilities and other power providers are still working to create a comprehensive system that will enable them to synthesize the massive amount of data collected through smart grid products such as smart meters.
Microsoft and OSIsoft LLC polled 216 professionals within the electric, gas and water utility industries throughout the world to determine their findings.
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