"Bakersfield islikely to slow down theinstallationofsmartmeters-not justinthe United Statesbutworldwide," says Ahmad Faruqui of the Brattle Group, a consultancy.
An October report from the consulting company BrattleGroup estimates that in Europe, it would cost 51 billion euros to wire the continent with smart meters.
Philip Verleger, an energy economist with the BrattleGroup, a consultancy, observes that successful central banks are secretive about when they will intervene in the foreign exchanges.
"The pilot showed conclusively what could be done, " says Ahmad Faruqui, a consultant with the BrattleGroup in San Francisco, who advises utilities on the economics of smart grid technology.