Smart meter installation in China 'to reach 280m by 2016'

15 September 2011

Posted by Michelle Devonshire

A total of 280 million smart meters are expected to be installed in China - the largest consumer of the technology - by 2016, a new report states.

According to the study from In-Stat, the modernization of the global electrical grid is gaining pace and the devices are playing a key role in this, with Chinese deployments particularly high.

Research Director at the organization, Allen Nogee, explained: "The smart meter is at the heart of the smart grid transformation."

He added that factors such as infrastructure and consumer education are important, but the market is currently focused on technology providing information about consumption.

"A smart meter allows a utility to offer a wider range of electric rates," he noted, pointing to the reduced cost of reading meters they represent and predicting that further solutions will be developed in this area over the coming years.

In the UK, the Government has set a target for all households to have smart meters installed by 2020.