The power industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation. Activity is driven by optimising operations, managing asset performance and lowering energy costs, and growing importance of technologies such as battery energy storage systems (BESS), smart grids and advanced metering infrastructure. In the last three years alone, there have been over 439,000 patents filed and granted in the power industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Internet of Things in Power: Remote metering smart grids. Buy the report here.
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According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which uses over 83,000 patents to analyse innovation intensity for the power industry, there are 90+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
Remote metering smart grids is a key innovation area in Internet of Things
A smart grid is a modern electric grid with two-way flow of electricity and data between power utilities and consumers. Remote metering facilitates viewing of metered and monitored data from a remote location and allows continuous monitoring of all consumers associated with it.
GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 20+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established power companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of remote metering smart grids.
Key players in remote metering smart grids – a disruptive innovation in the power industry
‘Application diversity’ measures the number of different applications identified for each relevant patent. It broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.
‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of different countries each relevant patent is registered in. It reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.
Patent volumes related to remote metering smart grids
| Company | Total patents (2021 - 2023) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
| Accenture | 25 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Electro Industries/GaugeTech | 23 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Toshiba | 17 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Korea Electric Power | 17 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Semiconductor Energy Laboratory | 14 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Sense Labs | 13 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Kyocera | 13 | Unlock Company Profile |
| SolarEdge Technologies | 12 | Unlock Company Profile |
| AMETEK | 12 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Enel | 11 | Unlock Company Profile |
| ThinkEco | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Electricite de France | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| LS Electric | 8 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Mitsubishi | 8 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Mitsubishi Electric | 8 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Itron | 8 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Honeywell International | 7 | Unlock Company Profile |
| OVH Groupe | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| PG&E | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Samsung Group | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Schneider Electric | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| ABB | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Electricite de France (EDF) is a leading patent filter and is working with technological leaders such as Dell, GE, Cisco and IBM to maximise the environmental benefits of smart grid technology in many real-world situations. In October 2018, the company won an order with state-owned company EESL (Energy Efficiency Services) for installation of 5 million smart meters in the Bihar state of India.
Enel Group owns Gridspertise, which provides cutting-edge sustainable solutions for the transformation of electricity distribution networks in metering and grid edge digitalisation, networks infrastructure digitalisation, field operations digitalisation.
Mitsubishi Electric is another leading patent filer. In September 2021, the company acquired UK-based Smarter Grid Solutions (SGS), a company that delivers products to manage power grids and market participation in energy systems with high volumes of distributed, clean and flexible energy assets.
To further understand how Internet of Things is disrupting the power industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Internet of Things in Power (2021).
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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.
GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
