The electriicity mavens at EE Times have been running a series on the grid that has some thought provoking commentary.
From Electrical Engineering Times, July 14:
Global electricity consumption continues to grow at a consistent 3.5 percent annual rate over the last five years, according to a survey of the energy and utilities sector by the International Energy Agency. In 2020, apparent consumption was estimated to be 16 gigawatt hours by the top 12 countries, with China, the U.S. and India accounting for 60 percent of total. Though the consumption rate plummeted by 5 percent in 2020 due to pandemic-induced lockdowns, a rebound is expected to occur this year, driven by a “V- shaped” recovery and pent-up demand.
The value of the electricity transmission infrastructure market is projected to reach $350 billion by 2030, fueled by public and private investment projected to grow 3.8 percent annually through the end of the decade. That growth will be driven in large measure by grid upgrades for transmitting renewable energy resources. The amount of electricity generated by wind, solar and other renewables is predicted to grow at a 5-percent annual clip.
Key growth areas include microgrids, local energy infrastructure that can operate autonomously from traditional grids, and community power distribution systems used to store and distribute renewable energy. Those remote systems are promising architectures for developing countries.
Another notable avenue derives from municipal infrastructure utility services, many involving in urban rail transit networks with accelerated development of metropolitan rail projects in urban and suburban areas.
Growth, innovation
Current growth opportunities mostly focus on new infrastructure projects, but repair and maintenance services also remain a revenue generator for equipment manufacturers and electric power control providers. The order value per service is significant for incumbent stakeholders as well as independent vendors armed with emerging open source development skills....
....MUCH MORE
Links to the other articles in the series are at the bottom of this post:
