Smart Grid Vs Traditional Grid

Information Technology Cost Component of Smart Grid 

Players in Smart Grid IT Products Domain

CapGemini- It has strong presences in energy and utility segment. The company is actively collaborating with utilities in US and Europe for their Smart Grid projects to gain valuable knowledge and experience. It has recently launched Smart Energy Services, a new global service line that will provide full spectrum of smart metering, smart grid, smart home solutions, and smart analytics to utilities across the globe.

HCL Infosystems-HCL has partnered with Echelon (A Smart Grid product development company) for providing smart metering and network infrastructure services. It has also roped in Oncor as a client for its SmartGrid infrastructure services. Collaboration with these companies will provide HCL a competitive edge against the competitors when the Smart Grid development in India accelerates.

General Electrics- Through its eco-imagination GE is focusing its research efforts towards clean energy including Smart Grid. It has got US government grant for building Smart Grid training and research infrastructure. GE will leverage its years of vast domain experience to develop various innovative products for the Smart Grid. It has started working with various utilities in US to roll out Smart Meters and related products. In India, GE has collaborated with NDPL for improving energy and transmission efficiency

Telvent Software- Telvent serves markets that are critical to the sustainability of the planet, including the energy, transportation, agricultural and environmental sectors. Telvent recently announced that it is going to partner with Larsen and Toubro(L&T) for Smart Grid Projects in Maharashtra State

Cisco- Cisco considers Smart Grid as the next big thing and visualizes smart grid emergence similar to the emergence of Internet. With its strong networking products portfolio  and its deep expertise in IP based products, the company's smart grid vision is to be provider of intelligent, transparent communication between the power producers, the transmission substation, the distribution substation, the residential complex, and the commercial buildings. Through its  Smart Grid ecosystem it plans to develop smart grid technologies and standards by collaborating with the  smart grid stakeholders. It recently launched Smart Grid products Connected Grid Router (CGR 2010) and Connected Grid Switch (CGS 2520). It has strong presence in emerging country like India, China, and Brazil. 

Infosys- Infosys is company is globally engaged with utility companies to meet their IT needs. It has partnered with Itron to provide Itron customers Advance Metering Infrastructure (AMI) and Meter Data Management Services. The company is also part of the Cisco Smart Grid ecosystems and will gain valuable knowledge and experience about Cisco Smart Grid products and related technology. Infosys , along with C-STEP co-developed report "Technology : Enabling Transformation of Power Distribution" for  Ministry of Power, India and is associated with India's Smart Grid Development Program. 

IBM- IBM through its "Smarter Planet" initiative is developing various innovative products and services to transform the important entities like transportation systems, water systems, cities, rail, traffic, food, buildings, computing, banking, education, and energy systems. Smart Grid is one of the major component of its Smart Planet initiative.  IBM is one of the top 10 Smart Grid companies leading the charge for advancement of this technology. It has setup Global Intelligent Utility Network Coalition (GIUNC) organization to collaborate with utilities of the world.  IBM is implementing smart grid project for Oncor, CenterPoint Energy, American Electric Power and Consumers, EDF of France and for Malta

Accenture- As One of the world's top 10 IT consulting firm, Accenture is at the fore-front of the Smart Grid transformation. In a consultative capacity it is collaborating with organization like World Economic Forum (WEF), Governments, and utility companies to develop road map for Smart Grid evolution. With more than 30 years experience of enabling utilities become higher performing businesses and with 7,500 utility industry professionals serving 300 clients in 43 countries, the company offers products and consulting and technology services in AMI, Intelligent Network Data Management, Home Area Network, Distributed Energy Integration, Demand Response, and network application and architecture for technologies like plug-in Electric Vehicle

Larsen & Toubro- The company operates in various infrastructure domains and is major player in power infrastructure. It has recently collaborated with Telvent for Smart Grid projects in India

ABB- The global conglomerate operates in more than 100 countries focusing on power transmission, distribution, and power plant automation that serves electric, gas, and water utilities as well as commercial customers. Its core business lines includes power products, power systems, discrete automation and motion, low voltage products, and process automation. As a leading power sector company, ABB has strong Smart Grid focus and has been actively collaborating with utilities from US, UK, Europe, China, and India. The capacity, reliability, efficiency, and sustainability are the four key aspects of its smart grid vision.

Siemens- It plans to provides products and services in Smart Distribution,  Smart Consumption, Smart Metering, Efficient Network, and e-mobility segment. By 2014, the company plans to have order worth €6 billion from its present €1 billion from Smart Grid segment. Siemens has partnered with emerging startups e-meter, BPL Global, and Viridity for its Smart Grid offerings and is engaged in various Smart Grid pilots across the world.

Kalkitech- Kalkitech is a technology based company, which provides products, solutions, and services in the integrated domains of control, communication, and computing of energy industry. The company enables seamless integration of their customer's field, automation, and enterprise systems on standard based protocols & interfaces to optimized their operational systems. Kalkitech's optimization solutions are build around its own products and third party products, which when combined with its communication solutions compliment with each other in building a smart grid. The company's main products are SYNC and ELTRIX; Sync consists of suite of products that enables filed-to-enterprise communication for energy sector whereas ELTRIX is energy optimization solution and is one of the core offering of its optimization verticals. ELTRIX provides overall sustenance of energy eco systems through optimal decision within regulatory, environmental, and reliability constraints.