The market of smart grids in France and Europe. A technological breakthrough... a risk of overturning the energy value chain with the arrival of newcomers

This article presents the content of a market study which aimed at giving a picture of the development of smart grids in France and in Europe and at assessing their growth potential, at assessing the challenges of this technological breakthrough for consumers and at identifying business opportunities for the actors of the sector, at imagining tomorrow's offer in energy efficiency, at comparing the position and strategies of the different actors (energy providers, equipment manufacturers, pure players, NTIC, etc.), and at anticipating the evolutions of the competition structure with the presence of newcomers possessing huge financial means such as Apple, Google or Microsoft. The report outlines the opportunities of development for smart grids and remaining obstacles, presents the European regulatory context, describes the current status of development of smart grids, presents several pan-European projects, proposes a focus on initiatives in France, gives an overview of the competition, and discusses the perspectives for the market by 2020