The discussion on the development of smart grid / smart metering projects in Poland has been going on for several years now. Compared to other European Union countries, Poland is really at the brink of possible large scale implementation of smart metering / smart grid projects. By the end of 2016, globally there were more than 700 million intelligent meters installed worldwide, of which half were implemented only in China. The European Commission and the EU Member States aim to exchange 80% of electricity meters for intelligent systems by 2020, which means over 200 million meters on electricity grids will have to be replaced in less than 3 years, this also includes Poland. Presently, in Poland the implementation of smart meters is carried out almost exclusively by distribution network operators: ENERGA Operator S.A. in the northern part of the country, with over 832 thousand smart meters in PLC technology installed by 2016, Innogy Stoen Operator - 100 thousand AMI meters, TAURON Dystrybucja S.A. - 331 thousand, ENEA Operator S.A. - 100 thousand and PGE Dystrybucja - about 50 thousand.
Despite these implementations, the situation in Poland and the drive to move forward is not certain. There are no clear legislative and organizational solutions that would make it easier for investors to get involved in this technology. Poland has a considerable potential for this type of investments, but the legal ramifications regulating energy infrastructure have not yet lifted some barriers for the installation of key smart grid components and especially smart meters – this was one of many conclusions of our Experts during the 7th edition of the Smart Communications and Technology Forum, on 8th of June, 2017 in Warsaw. Full report and photo gallery
