In the watt-hour meter industry, there are many opportunities at present and in the future. These opportunities mainly come from the background of technological progress, market demand change, policy support and global energy transition.

Innovation brought about by technological progress

The development of smart meters
As an important part of the energy meter industry, the development of smart meter technology is the key to industrial progress. Since its birth in 1960s, smart meter has developed from electronic meter to intelligent terminal with many functions, such as electric energy measurement, load control, user information management and so on. The highly integrated design reduces the cost of equipment and maintenance, and realizes the functions of real-time monitoring, remote meter reading and control, data analysis and application, fault diagnosis and early warning. With the development of 5G, NB-IoT and other new generation communication technologies, the communication speed of smart meters will be significantly improved, further promoting the upgrading of the industry.

2. The integration of artificial intelligence and big data
The introduction of artificial intelligence and big data technology has made smart meters more powerful. Through the large amount of power consumption data collected by smart meter, combined with big data analysis and artificial intelligence technology, more accurate power consumption forecasting, load dispatching and energy-saving management can be realized. This intelligent application not only improves the operation efficiency of the power grid, but also provides more convenient and personalized service for users.

Second, changes in market demand

1. The need for smart grid construction
As the smart grid continues to grow, so does the demand for smart meters. Smart grid requires the realization of information, automation and interaction, and smart meter, as an important sensing element of smart grid, is the key to achieve these goals. State grid and other power companies are accelerating the“Full coverage, full collection, full control fee” construction, the performance of smart meters put forward higher requirements, which has brought huge market opportunities for the meter industry.

2. The rise of distributed energy and electric vehicles
The rapid development of distributed energy (such as solar energy, wind energy, etc.) and electric vehicles has brought new market demand for the watt-hour meter industry. Smart meters are needed to measure and monitor the electric power accurately, and smart meters are also needed to provide convenient charging measurement and payment services for electric vehicles. These new requirements will drive the development of a more diversified and intelligent energy meter industry.

Third, the promotion of policy support

1. National policy support
In recent years, the state grid, the national development and Reform Commission and other departments have issued a series of policies to support the construction of smart grids and the development of smart meters. These policies not only provide a broad market space for the electric energy meter industry, but also reduce the operating costs and improve the market competitiveness of enterprises by means of financial subsidies and tax incentives.

2. Requirements for green and low-carbon development
With the global attention to green low-carbon development, smart meters in energy conservation and emission reduction increasingly prominent role. Smart meter through real-time monitoring and data analysis, can help users to understand the power consumption, improve energy-saving awareness, reduce unnecessary power waste. At the same time, smart meter can also support the real-time electricity price model, guide the user to use electricity in the low period, reduce the peak-valley difference, improve the operation efficiency of the grid. These advantages make smart meters play an important role in green and low-carbon development, and also provide strong support for the development of its industry.

Opportunities for global energy transformation

International market expansion
As the global energy transition accelerates, the demand for smart grids and meters is also increasing. With advanced technology and lower cost advantages, China's smart meter enterprises have strong competitiveness in the international market. Especially in the countries along the belt and road, the export scale of China's smart meter products continues to grow, bringing new growth points for the meter industry.

2. Aligning international standards
In order to better adapt to the international market demand, China's watt-hour meter industry is accelerating the docking with international standards. Through the adoption of international standards and technical specifications to improve product compatibility and reliability, China's smart meter enterprises in the international market competitiveness will be further enhanced.