The fundamental shift that has taken place in environmental policies since 2007 will have a huge effect on the utilities market. Energy policies that were developed prior to this now need to be considered in relation to the new climate change and environmental realities - and for the ICT and energy industries this will involve checking government initiatives such as smart meters and national fibre telecoms networks against the new directions. After the collapsed Copenhagen conference in 2009, CO2 policies such as the Cap and Trade system became far more difficult to implement and were in 2010 deferred to 2013. This opened the way for different policies aimed energy efficiency and renewable energy. These developments do have the potential to bring smart grids higher up on the political agenda.
