More than 228,650 substations are set to undergo automation as smart grid operations grow, according to SBI Energy.

Upgrades to established substations are accelerating in countries including the U.S. U.K., France, Japan and China.

Two technologies -- High Temperature Superconductors (HTS) and Solid State Transformers (SST) are gaining momentum in this process.

The total size of the market for the three substation automation systems designs is expected to be $90 billion by 2015.

Countries such as the U.S. U.K., France, Japan and China are deploying substation automation, which involves a multitude of devices and technologies, SBI Energy said in its report called “The Global Substation Automation Products Market.”

“Because the substation industry has approached standardization of protocols, products, and processes in a highly fractionated manner, many nations have neither yet adopted standards for communication protocols nor implemented requirements for the manufacturing and installation of substation products and technologies,” said Darren Bosik, analyst at SBI Energy, in a statement.

The market is growing as countries are prioritizing their efforts to revitalize their decaying electric infrastructure. These countries are focusing on upgrades to their substations and ensuring these structures can be seamlessly connected to the Smart Grid.

The trend toward substation automation affects the growth in smart substation products sales based on three dominant design markets: Retrofit, New, and Future.

Retrofitting established substations architecture involves installation of modernized communication protocols, IEDs, and operating standards, to established substation designs. In the retrofit model, emphasis is placed on leveraging wireless and fiber communication when adding new equipment.

Recently Berg Insight said the number of smart electricity meters in Europe will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 17.9 percent between 2009 and 2015 to reach 111.4 million at the end of the period.

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