It’s been a while since I’ve written much of anything smart grid related that didn’t directly deal with the successful Smart Grid Summit held in conjunction with TMC’s (News - Alert) ITEXPO East last week in Miami.

 

But, when I came across news that Nanomarkets reported that the stall behind the continual evolution of the smart grids market is in fact the U.S. government and its policies and regulations, I wanted to briefly discuss its effect on the space.

 

According to the report, NanoMarkets sites the National Institute of Standards and Technology, or “NIST,” as a major time drag on the market.

 

Surprised? I’m not.

 

Since the NIST has stepped in to push for more standards in the smart grid space, there has been a temporary freeze on the largest injection of capital – namely $4 billion – until those rules and regulations are finalized, the funds are not accessible, essentially permitting the smart grid movement to evolve with the necessary investments it needs.

 

Another problem is that, while the $4 billion is not accessible to the larger picture of the smart grid world, the funds are being allotted to projects, slowly depleting the amount of money large utilities and corporations can use in conjunction with their monetary budgets.