This document presents key policy messages aimed at supporting the upscaling of smart grid solutions from pilot projects to wider market deployment. It highlights that, while many innovative technologies are successfully demonstrated at small scale, significant barriers often prevent their expansion into real-world applications. The publication emphasises that upscaling is not only a technical challenge, but also involves addressing social, regulatory, and economic factors. The report identifies critical barriers such as low customer engagement, limited post-project continuity, insufficient financing mechanisms, and misalignment among stakeholders. It provides targeted recommendations for public funding bodies, including improving stakeholder engagement, supporting knowledge transfer, enabling access to financing, and fostering collaboration across the energy sector. The document also underlines the importance of adaptive regulatory frameworks and stronger communication of successful case studies to accelerate adoption. This publication was prepared for the International Smart Grid Action Network (ISGAN) by Working Group 2. ISGAN is organized as the Implementing Agreement for a Co-operative Programme on Smart Grids (ISGAN) and operates under a framework created by the International Energy Agency (IEA). The views, findings and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of any of ISGAN’s participants, any of their sponsoring governments or organizations, the IEA Secretariat, or any of its member countries.
ISGAN Working Group 2 (2019) studied this question.