At-a-glance:

·         Germany-based Siemens acquires eMeter, the U.S. meter data management specialist based in San Mateo, California.

·         Both parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price and expect to close the deal in mid-to-late December 2011.

·         Siemens and eMeter have worked together as strategic partners since 2008.

·         In fiscal 2011, revenue from Siemens' environmental portfolio totaled nearly €30 billion, making Siemens one of the world’s largest suppliers of eco-friendly technologies.

·         Siemens says eMeter's EnergyIP MDM software will become an integral part of its smart grid portfolio.

 

By Jesse Berst

We think eMeter might have been able to eventually mount an initial public offering. But, as we explained in our discussion of IPO candidate Silver Spring Networks, the recent market turbulence and fears of a European-led recession have dampened IPO hopes for everyone. Meanwhile, eMeter's venture investors were growing impatient for an exit. Current eMeter CEO Gary Bloom was brought in specifically to get the company ready for sale or IPO, and he successfully delivered.

What does this mean for the rest of the category? Many observers have long expected meter data management to disappear as a separate category. It is so fundamental, goes the argument, that all large metering companies will build or buy a foundational MDM system. If true, then is Ecologic Analytics next up? Landis+Gyr (now owned by Toshiba) already owns a minority stake.

As for what it means for utilities?  That is still a bit murky. Perhaps you'll see a lot of mixing and matching -- Itron meters with a Siemens (formerly eMeter) MDM and a Silver Spring network, for instance. Or perhaps utilities will begin to buy the MDM as part of the metering bundle.

Jesse Berst is the founder and chief analyst of Smart Grid News.com. He consults to smart grid companies seeking market entry advice and M&A advisory. A frequent keynoter at industry events in the US and abroad, he also serves on the Advisory Council of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Energy & Environment directorate.

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