The proportion of ICT spending has traditionally been small compared to that of energy systems in a utility company's assets topology. Prior to 2000, the industry average of ICT spending was no more than 5% of a company's total capital expenditure (capex) and no more than 10% in the last 5 years. The role of ICT, however, becomes more vital as the energy sector operates in a world with scarce raw resources, rising costs and increasing environmental constraints. Adding intelligence and communication links to energy assets is the way forward - ICT is the enabler of this solution, of connecting previously remote assets to the backbone of the grid, of adding intelligence to previously dumb assets, and of facilitating better, proactive or self healing decisions on energy assets. Frost & Sullivan's ICT in Smart Energy Research Practice predicts a growing weight of ICT spending in overall capex, with the share rising to 15-25% by 2030.
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