Currently smart grid infrastructure investment is the domain of developed countries, but emerging markets are making headway in this area in order to take advantage of this technology to maximize available energy resources. Whether these countries are using coal, oil, natural gas, hydroelectric power, wind or any other source to generate energy, they have to be able to manage it more effectively. A new study by the Northeast Group, Emerging Markets Smart Grid: Outlook 2014 reveals these countries will be investing $274.9 billion in smart grid technology over the next decade.

The study looked at 45 emerging nations including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa and concluded they will be outpacing developed countries with investments during the forecast period.

The investments these countries make will address smart metering, advancements for transmission and distribution grids, improving reliability, incorporating renewable energy into electricity grids and reducing electricity theft, which costs these nations $47 billion annually. The forecast covers smart metering, distribution automation, home energy management and information technology.

The countries in the study have already deployed a total of 9.5 million smart meters with two-way communications and by 2023 the number is set to reach to 523 million.

The study covers smart grid regulatory country index by scoring all the countries represented with regional forecasts from 2013 to 2023. A profile of each country and details of key vendors and market shares is also part of the study, validating the investment these countries are making into the infrastructure. The report points out smart meter deployments are justified because of underlying market conditions such as high distribution loss rates, high electricity prices, and enough high-income residents. Of the 45 countries some countries in Latin America, Middle East & North Africa, and Southeast Asia meet these criteria, while almost all of the Central & Eastern European (CEE) countries meet the criteria.

The 190 page study addresses:

What smart grid activity took place in emerging markets in 2013 and what is expected for 2014?

What is the forecast market for AMI, distribution automation, wide area measurement, home energy management, and IT in each emerging market region over the period 2013-2023?

How do emerging markets compare to developed countries in terms of forecast deployments? Which countries were most active in developing smart grid-related policies and which countries took a step back in the past year?

Who were the leading international vendors in emerging markets in 2013? What is their market share in emerging markets? Who are the most important local vendors?

Which emerging markets countries have the most developed smart grid regulatory frameworks? Which of these 45 countries have the potential to reap the most direct benefits from smart meter deployments?

How will regional bodies such as the EU, ASEAN, and GCC expedite deployments?

"Our third volume of this annual study pinpoints where smart grid investments will occur in emerging markets. Large countries such as India and Turkey have provisional smart meter deployment targets and new financing sources are developing," said Ben Gardner, president of Northeast Group.