ZigBee the leader for smart meters

Smart meter revenues are forecast to eclipse US$12 billion by 2016, the vast majority ZigBee-enabled.

“ZigBee has been considered the front-running, short-range connectivity option for smart grid since its inception and has maintained its position so far. While the number of ZigBee clients in homes to date is relatively small, In-Stat believes that ZigBee will maintain its dominance,” says Allen Nogee, research director.

“Although Wi-Fi is pervasive, it has not been a viable choice for the smart grid because the application layers have never existed for Wi-Fi that explain exactly how Wi-Fi devices interact. That will all change with the passage of the IP-based Smart Energy Profile 2.0, expected late in 2012.”

Recent research found that powerline is the clear leader in backhaul connectivity from the meter to the utility. However, we are seeing an increasing number of wireless solutions including cellular, white space and proprietary methods that would use unlicensed and operate in mesh configuration. China, the world’s biggest energy consumer, is also the biggest smart meter consumer and the number of smart meters deployed in the US per year will decrease after peaking in 2011, but worldwide smart meter deployment will continue to grow.

In-Stat research Getting Smart on Worldwide Smart Meter Communication Technology contains an in-depth look at the smart grid in general, and the smart meter and communication technology employed, and includes: smart meter five-year forecast; technology forecast from smart meter into the house using ZigBee or Wi-Fi.