Click here to subscribe to
Planet-Profit Report, reporting on sustainable development in the Western United States.

Smart grid startups to watch in 2012

Not necessarily the biggest, but definitely the hottest

By Katie Fehrenbacher, www.gigaom.com

We brought you some predictions about the smart grid market in 2012, but what are some of the startups you should be keeping an eye on next year? Here are some of the ones that I think will be really interesting to watch in 2012. They might not be the biggest players, or the ones making the most money (some are), but these are companies that could be disruptive with their business models, concepts and leadership.

1). Ecologic Analytics: Now that Siemens snapped up smart meter data management system eMeter, all eyes will be on Ecologic Analytics, and where the company could land. The firm is not exactly a startup — having been around over a decade and with meter maker Landis + Gyr as a minority shareholder — but the company has been quietly cleaning up when it comes to the software link that connects smart meter data to a utilities’ back office (commonly called meter data management systems, or MDMS). Will 2012 see Ecologic Analytics officially land with Landis + Gyr or another large smart grid player?

2). Nest: Yes there’s been a lot of hype around Nest, the startup that’s making a learning thermostat and is backed by Kleiner Perkins, Google Ventures and Al Gore’s investment fund. But Nest is definitely a company you should keep an eye on in terms of the smart grid in 2012.

Read the rest of the story.