May 16, 2012

Even as deployments of smart grid infrastructure have accelerated in recent years, the once hyped home energy management (HEM) market has struggled to gain traction.  Numerous trials have led to only a few cases of industry deployments and to anemic rates of consumer adoption.  Today that is starting to change, and over the remainder of the decade momentum will build in this nascent market.  According to a new report from Pike Research, global annual shipments of standalone HEM systems will grow from a quarter million in 2011 to nearly 4.7 million in 2020, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 38.3%.  Combined revenue for all HEM segments will grow from a base of $93 million in 2011 to more than $2 billion in 2020, the cleantech market intelligence firm forecasts.

“The home energy management market will make steady progress over the coming eight years,” says senior analyst Neil Strother.  “It will be driven by government mandates, utility programs, and a growing number of consumers looking to manage their energy bills.  Also, a combination of consumer desire to be more ‘green,’ home construction and retrofits with energy management objectives, and new technologies surrounding plug-in electric vehicles will help stimulate the market.”

HEM products can be viewed in five groups, or segments, along a continuum that moves from paper bills (a mailed statement from the utility showing a customer’s energy usage as it compares to households nearby), through standalone HEM systems, which include some device-level tracking and automated device control capabilities, up to networked HEM, comprising auto-pricing response capabilities, demand response (DR) load control, and home automation controls.  Of these, networked-HEM revenue will see the strongest growth (76.8% CAGR), as utilities attempt to drive volume sales of networked HEM systems in order to make DR and time-of-use pricing schemes feasible.

Pike Research’s report, “Home Energy Management”, examines global and regional home energy management trends as they play out along a continuum of five segments: paper bills, web portals, standalone systems, in-home displays, and integrated HAN/HEM systems.  The study also explores the drivers and inhibitors shaping the market, plus major technology issues.  It provides market forecasts through 2020, with breakdowns by these five segments and by world regions.  Key vendor profiles, analysis of new players, and case studies are included as well.  In addition to the supply-side analysis, results from a Pike Research consumer survey focus on the demand side of HEM as well, making for a complete market overview.  An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the firm’s website.

Contact: Richard Martin

+1 303 997 7609

press@pikeresearch.com

May 15, 2012

The e-bicycle market is currently growing strongly in the Asia Pacific and European regions, while North America has underperformed expectations in the last few years.  The result is that the market for e-bicycles is growing increasingly crowded, with a number of competitors in each region.  One market remains dominant in e-bicycle sales: China, which accounts for 92% of the global market.  According to a new Pike Pulse report published by Pike Research, two Chinese vendors, Luyuan Electric Vehicle and Jiangsu Xinri E-Vehicle are essentially competing head-to-head for the highest ranking, in terms of strategy and execution, in this emerging sector.  They are closely followed by Dutch manufacturer Gazelle Bicycles.

“With China accounting for 92% of the global e-bicycle sales, it is not surprising that our leaders are companies with strength in this market,” says senior analyst Dave Hurst.  “Outside China, the e-bicycle market is currently crowded and very fluid, with traditional bicycle manufacturers absorbing small, growing e-bicycle companies or adding new e-bicycle product lines thanks to strong electric component suppliers.  Our European leader, Gazelle, has both strong strategy and strong execution, but there are a lot of new and not-so-new competitors that are chasing Gazelle’s position.”

Pike Research’s analysis shows a bifurcation in the e-bicycle market that could persist for some time.  While Luayan and Xinri are both chasing a share of the huge Chinese market with low cost e-bicycles while building on their technology for export markets, companies like Gazelle and Sparta are players in the European market with more sophisticated and higher cost products.  Each of these very different strategies comes with its own advantages and possible pitfalls.

Luyuan Electric Vehicle, the overall leader in this Pike Pulse, has built on its market success by fitting Asia Pacific consumer needs (including some questionable attributes like easily removable speed limiters), meeting mass market prices, and conducting R&D to improve battery and vehicle performance.  Essentially in a dead heat with Luyuan is Xinri E-Vehicle, which has a strong focus on Asia Pacific markets and limited international export capability.  Gazelle, the clear leader among European makers of e-bikes, has taken its expertise in building high-quality bicycles and e-bicycles for the large Dutch market and successfully exported it to other parts of Western Europe and North America.

The “Pike Pulse Report: Electric Bicycles” evaluates 15 e-bicycle companies that either have the largest market share or are growing very quickly.  The companies are rated on 12 criteria for strategy and execution, including vision, go-to-market strategy, partnerships, product and production strategy, technology, geographic reach, sales and marketing, distribution maturity, product quality and reliability, product portfolio, pricing, and staying power.  Using Pike Research’s proprietary Pike Pulse methodology, vendors are profiled, rated, and ranked with the goal of providing industry participants with an objective assessment of these companies’ relative strengths and weaknesses in the e-bicycle market.  An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the firm’s website.

Contact: Richard Martin

+1 303 997 7609

press@pikeresearch.com

May 14, 2012

A range of factors including pledges to reduce GHG emissions, the desire to minimize the impact of rising energy prices, and the decreasing cost of deploying base stations run on clean energy is driving telecom service providers to create more sustainable systems for delivering their services.  According to a new report from Pike Research, however, the pathway to achieving these goals has shifted: The focus of green telecom has swung strongly to energy efficiency.  While clean power is not to be discounted, operators (and thus suppliers) are placing much more emphasis today on curbing power consumption than on deploying green base stations.

By 2016, Pike Research forecasts, sustainable telecom network infrastructure investments will represent over 61% of global telecom capital expenditures, representing a $194 billion market.  Of these investments, 65% will go into mobile networks in 2016.

“Green power is not feasible or economical at all locations,” says research director Eric Woods.  “In most cases, some type of green power supply can be deployed, but there are areas where this is not an option or the ROI is too low to justify.  Services such as network and site planning can also reduce the energy needed to run a network, and vendors are also placing more emphasis on their own supply chains to reduce energy consumption and decrease emissions.”

Within mobile networks, base stations and switching centers may consume 60% to 85% of an operator’s network energy usage, so improvements here are critical.  Concentrating on improvements in radio frequency (RF) amplifiers, switches, new network architectures and topologies, fresh air cooling solutions, and the use of sustainable energy solutions for off-grid locations, service providers and vendors are combining forces to make sure that the newer 4G networks require less power than legacy networks.  As a result, Pike Research forecasts that emissions levels associated with mobile networks will decline to 251 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO₂e) by 2016 versus 266 MtCO₂e for 2011.

Pike Research’s report, “Green Telecom Networks”, focuses on the direct impact of green technologies and practices as applied to telecommunications networks.  Specifically addressed are the market drivers and business decisions that drive the usage and implementation of green practices across fixed and mobile networks.  In addition, quantitative market forecasts through 2016 are provided to describe the effects of these green technologies and practices on operational and environmental costs.  An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the firm’s website.

Contact: Richard Martin

+1 303 997 7609

press@pikeresearch.com

May 10, 2012

The year 2011 signaled a shift in the microgrid sector, as some of the first large-scale commercial microgrid projects reached significant milestones.  With the adoption of newly created IEEE islanding standards in July 2011, the shift from pilot validation projects to fully commercial projects accelerated, as evidenced by the large jump in planned, proposed, and operating grid-tied microgrids in North America.  According to a new tracker report from Pike Research, as of the second quarter of 2012 there are 87 new microgrids either planned, proposed, or in current operation, totaling over 2,575 megawatts (MW) in capacity.  This represents a 54% increase over planned and operating capacity identified in the 4Q 2011 update from Pike Research.

“Microgrids are rapidly moving beyond pilot projects and into commercial applications and developments,” says senior analyst Peter Asmus.  “With more than 85 new projects added since the fourth quarter of 2011, and total planned, proposed, and operating capacity now exceeding 2.5 gigawatts, it is clear that momentum in this segment of the smart grid landscape is accelerating.”

Globally, the rising costs of diesel fuel – along with the drop in solar photovoltaic (PV) prices – have contributed to a flurry of new commercial activity regarding remote microgrids throughout the developing world.  Depending upon one’s definition of a microgrid, remote systems could lead the global microgrid market in terms of revenue by 2018.  North America, however, continues to be the world’s most promising market for grid-tied microgrid projects, with more than 50 new projects coming to light since the last tracker update.  These projects boosted overall planned capacity in North America to 1,550 MW in 2Q 2012, up 51% from 1,026 MW identified in Pike Research’s 4Q 2011 update.

Pike Research’s “Microgrid Deployment Tracker” provides a detailed and comprehensive database of worldwide microgrid projects.  The tracker covers microgrids in five key segments: commercial/industrial, community/utility, institutional/campus, military, and remote systems.  Deployments are segmented by world region, and the tracker includes details on generation capacity, power generation sources, facility type, and companies involved for each project.  An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the firm’s website.

Contact: Richard Martin

+1 303 997 7609

press@pikeresearch.com

May 9, 2012

As total residential energy consumption continues to rise, creating greater demands on power infrastructure and contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, interest in energy efficient homes is growing deeper and more widespread.  Globally, energy efficient residential design, construction, and retrofits can take on many guises – as an unrealized aspiration, a nearly cost-prohibitive endeavor, or a branding strategy.  According to a new report from Pike Research, though, market dynamics will drive strong growth in the development of energy efficient homes through the remainder of this decade.  Construction of new energy efficient homes, and retrofits of existing buildings, will increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 42% from 2012 to 2020, the cleantech market intelligence firm forecasts, producing 118.6 billion square feet of energy efficient residential space and driving an annual market value of $84 billion by 2020.

“Pike Research defines energy efficient homes as properties that are built to exceed the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code by at least 15% on a kilowatt-hour per square foot basis,” says research analyst Brittany Gibson.  “Achieving such energy savings, in new construction or in existing building stock, is a design problem complicated by factors such as local climate, availability of materials, funding, and legislation.  In order to achieve this level of energy savings, home builders and retrofitters must adopt a systems approach to home design and construction, integrating all aspects of home assembly and operation.”

The global financial crash of 2008-2009 continues to have a strong effect on residential real estate markets, including energy efficient homes.  Rising economic prosperity is driving soaring residential construction in Asia Pacific, and the region stands to experience significant growth in energy efficient homes, if appropriate regulatory and financing programs can be implemented.  The European Union, meanwhile, represents the most mature market for energy efficient homes globally but will still see the strongest growth through 2020, at a regional CAGR of 44%, driven primarily by energy efficiency and carbon mandates.  Growth will be slowest in North America, where the existing building stock remains largely unaddressed at the moment.

Pike Research’s report, “Energy Efficient Homes”, analyzes the global market opportunity for energy efficient homes, including a focus on key market segments such as building envelope improvements, lighting, HVAC and major appliances, water heating, energy audits, and soft costs associated with energy efficiency.  Market forecasts are provided through 2020 for both new and existing building stock across five world regions.  Details of local, regional, and supranational market drivers and barriers are discussed in depth, and a cross-section of key industry players are profiled, highlighting their product and services offerings.  An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the firm’s website.

Contact: Richard Martin

+1 303 997 7609

press@pikeresearch.com

May 8, 2012

The market for building information modeling (BIM) software and services is still nascent, but evolving rapidly.  As energy conservation and carbon emissions become increasingly important issues, the adoption of BIM tools and practices will become a higher priority, since they can significantly affect the efficient use of scarce and valuable resources.  According to a new report from Pike Research, annual worldwide revenue for BIM products and services solutions will grow from $1.8 billion in 2012 to almost $6.5 billion in 2020.

“Building information modeling represents one of the most important breakthroughs in building design technology over the last decade,” says senior analyst Eric Bloom.  “The next generation of buildings will be more intelligent and energy-efficient than any before.  However, designing and delivering such buildings requires a level of collaboration that only BIM software can facilitate.”

The market for BIM software tools is led by a handful of well-known names, such as Autodesk, Bentley, Tekla, Nemetschek, and Gehry Technologies.  Small firms that enter the market with an innovative BIM (or other) solution generally do not last long as independent firms because the larger players strategically acquire them to enhance their own product portfolios.  The industry has also seen a spate of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in recent years, as firms prepare for the next phase of BIM technology advancement in areas like BIM to Field solutions, cloud-based solutions, and mobile capabilities.

Pike Research’s report, “Building Information Modeling”, provides a comprehensive analysis of the global market opportunity for BIM software, training/support services, and project management/collaboration tools.  The study includes detailed assessments of the business drivers that are stimulating adoption of BIM, the challenges faced by the industry, and technology issues in the evolving BIM market.  Key industry players are profiled and detailed market forecasts, segmented by geography and application segment, extend through 2020.  An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the firm’s website.

Contact: Richard Martin

+1 303 997 7609

press@pikeresearch.com

May 7, 2012

Smart meters and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) have transformed a placid, 140-year old electricity metering market into a high-tech, high-growth juggernaut.  In 2008, less than 4% of the global installed base of 1.5 billion electricity meters could be considered “smart,” but 4 years later this penetration has grown to over 18%, and is forecast to exceed 55% by 2020.   Yet while global growth will continue, this remarkable rollout peaked in North America in 2011, and annual smart meter shipments are expected to decline sharply.  According to a new report from Pike Research, unit shipments of smart meters in North America were 12.4 million in 2011 and will decline to 7.2 million by 2013, a 42% drop over just 2 years.  After 2014, they will begin a gradual rise through the end of the decade.

“The global smart meter market is in the midst of a steady growth period, with unit shipments growing at a compound annual growth rate of just under 5% between 2010 and 2020,” says vice president Bob Gohn.  “However, this high-level view obscures very dynamic and even volatile regional market characteristics, with dramatic shifts over the forecast period and very different communications technologies and standards.  These swings make the market both enticing and challenging for smart meter and communications vendors.”

Pike Research’s analysis shows that, while the North American market faces dramatic near-term contraction, the European market is beginning a similarly dramatic growth period.  The Asia Pacific region will continue to outpace all other regions, driven by major deployments in China, utilizing a different breed of smart meter technology.  Smart meter penetration in Asia Pacific today is just over half the penetration rate in North America, while in Europe it is less than half.  That will change over the next 8 years, as penetration rates reach 64% in Europe in 2020 and nearly 70% in Asia Pacific.

Pike Research’s report, “Smart Meters”, examines global and regional smart meter market trends, details neighborhood-area and home-area communications technologies and standards, defines and segments various smart meter capabilities, and provides detailed market sizing and forecasts by technology, utility type, and world region for the period from 2010 through 2020.  Key vendors, standards, and deployments are profiled, offering a comprehensive window into the dynamic market for smart metering.  An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the firm’s website.

Contact: Richard Martin

+1 303 997 7609

press@pikeresearch.com

May 4, 2012

Although the vehicle-to-grid (V2G) concept of sharing power to the grid from plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) has been in existence for nearly two decades, the underlying technologies are only just now emerging from the pilot project phase.  Beginning in the next half-decade, however, PEVs with V2G technology will play an important role in the ancillary services market, helping to address regional power grids’ continual need for stabilization to match supply demand.  According to a recent report from Pike Research, these vehicles will compete with traditional generation sources as well as with emerging technologies, such as stationary battery storage, for revenue from ancillary services such as frequency regulation and demand response.

By 2017, according to the cleantech market intelligence firm, approximately 90,000 light-duty vehicles and an additional 1,500 medium/heavy duty trucks will be enabled with V2G technologies, generating revenue of more than $18 million.

“V2G vehicles have an advantage over competing centralized generation assets because they can stabilize the grid at the endpoints closer to demand,” says research director John Gartner.  “In order to produce sufficient power capacity to interest grid operators, though, dozens of PEVs must be aggregated in a given area.  Thus V2G investment will be strong influenced by the growth in PEV sales, and substantial investment in infrastructure and vehicle-based technology will be necessary to enable V2G services on a large scale.”

The most likely early adopters of V2G will be fleets of light-duty vehicles and medium- and heavy-duty trucks.  Fleets often have a more consistent availability for connection to the grid than vehicles owned by individual consumers. Trucks, with their larger battery packs and potential to deliver power more quickly to the grid, can generate much greater revenue per vehicle than light-duty vehicles.  The Asia Pacific region will be the largest market, followed by Western Europe and North America.  North America will trail both Europe and Asia in incorporating PEVs into grid services because of the lower penetration of renewables and a regulatory framework that is less encouraging of V2G.

Pike Research’s report, “Vehicle to Grid Technologies”, examines the market opportunity for V2G technologies to be utilized for demand response, vehicle to building, frequency regulation, and various other ancillary services to support grid reliability and stability. The study analyzes technology issues and policy factors associated with the growth of V2G, as well as key hurdles to adoption. The strategies of key market participants are profiled, and forecasts are provided for V2G-enabled vehicles and service revenues through 2017. An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the firm’s website.

Contact: Richard Martin

+1 303 997 7609

press@pikeresearch.com

May 3, 2012

Smart cities need smart government.  The future shape of our public services and of our communities will be determined by the ability of government organizations and their service partners to utilize modern technology to meet pressing economic, environmental, and social challenges.  Smart government involves the use of innovative policies, business models, and technology to address the financial, environmental, and service challenges facing public sector organizations.  Growing investments in this area cover not only the use of the smart city infrastructure to deliver better and innovative services to citizens, businesses, and other stakeholders, but also the underlying architecture of the city, including the use of open system platforms for data sharing across industries and application areas.  According to a new report from Pike Research, these investments will lead to rapid growth in the emerging smart government sector over the next several years.  The overall smart government technology market, which was worth $706 million in 2011, will reach just over $2.5 billion by 2017, the cleantech market intelligence firm forecasts, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 24%.  Cumulative investment in smart government technology between 2011 and 2017 will be almost $4.8 billion.

“A new wave of technical innovation is having an impact on the provision of public services,” says research director Eric Woods.  “The computerization of both back- and front-office services has made a much wider range of data available to city managers, data that is now being supplemented by real-time data provided from a growing range of intelligent devices and sensor networks.  The growing use of data analytics is improving the quality and efficiency of services, and making this data accessible to third parties through open data government portals is increasing the speed of innovation and overcoming some of the traditional resource and financial bottlenecks.”

North America will lead the smart government market sector during the forecast period, reflecting an early adoption of new IT solutions to support public services and a drive among larger cities to use data more effectively in the management of the city.  However, both Europe and Asia Pacific will also show strong growth and will not lag far behind North America.

Pike Research’s report, “Smart Government Technologies”, analyzes the global market opportunity for smart government technologies.  It assesses the business drivers, market forces, and technology trends that are transforming the use of ICT and related technologies in smart cities and communities. The study forecasts the size and growth of the market for smart government technologies through 2017, and it also forecasts the growth in smart government data analytics and cloud-based services between 2011 and 2017.  The report includes profiles of major smart government initiatives around the world and also examines the strategies of key players in the smart government market including government agencies, IT companies, telcos, and infrastructure providers.  An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the firm’s website.

Contact: Richard Martin

+1 303 997 7609

press@pikeresearch.com

May 2, 2012

At the moment, the market for concentrated solar power (CSP) systems is paused – not stopped.  The sector has been marked by volatility since the technology began to experience a revival in 2004, and that up-and-down movement is likely to persist through the remainder of the decade as the price of rival photovoltaic modules continues its dramatic decline.  According to a recent report from Pike Research, worldwide annual revenue for CSP systems will increase dramatically, from $2.1 billion in 2012 to $5.1 billion in 2013, before dropping again in 2014 and beginning a gradual recovery.  By 2020, the cleantech market intelligence firm forecasts, revenue will reach $4.8 billion.

Under a more favorable forecast scenario, revenue could surpass $8.6 billion in 2020.

“Solar PV is not only more attractively priced at the moment than CSP technology, but it also has an established track record that makes it more appealing to investors,” says senior analyst Peter Asmus.  “Yet, CSP may overcome these disadvantages by reducing costs as a result of larger scale and new technology models. The most promising opportunity in the near term is to link CSP with thermal energy storage, thereby increasing the value of clean electricity in a cost-effective way that solar PV cannot replicate.”

Specifically, CSP providers have begun devising hybridized power plants that combine concentrated solar with fossil fuel generation, a model called Integrated Solar Combined Cycle (ISCC). At the same time, utility-scale energy storage capabilities are enabling expanded electricity production by dispatching stored heat in the evening hours.  Overall growth in the CSP market depends on a range of factors including project bankability/financing, policy issues, cost reductions in technology, cost competitiveness with PV, and expanded electricity transmission capacity.

Pike Research’s report, “Concentrated Solar Power”, provides an in-depth analysis of technology issues and policy trends driving CSP adoption in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, India, and China.  The study analyzes the perceived threat from solar PV and assesses the key challenges and opportunities presented by regional policies, capital environments, utility scale demand, and solar resources well suited for CSP.  Market forecasts extend through 2020 and include projections for installed capacity and revenue by region.  An Executive Summary of the report is available for free download on the firm’s website.

Contact: Richard Martin

+1 303 997 7609

press@pikeresearch.com