Locus Energy has introduced its next-generation of smart meters designed to allow solar installers and asset managers to more easily collect, monitor and analyse performance data from both residential and light commercial solar PV systems. The LGate 120 and 320 are the first cellular smart meters designed specifically to measure the performance of PV installations.
Problem
Until recently, the cellular socket meters available for PV monitoring have mainly been repurposed utility meters that have focused on consumption and demand rather than PV industry requirements. A low-cost, feature-rich and easy to install meter that can be installed on many different types of PV systems is required to reduce installation O&M, BOS and ‘soft costs’.
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Solution
Both units can communicate directly with inverters to collect additional AC and DC data points as well as fault code information, which is key to lowering O&M costs over a fleet of systems. In addition, the new meters can plug directly into local area networks via ethernet when the cellular signal is not strong enough at a given location. The LGate 120 for example combines a revenue-grade, solid-state power meter with an advanced communications gateway. These components work in conjunction to remotely monitor the performance of residential solar energy installation regardless of panel or inverter type.
The LGate 120 is a one-piece completely under glass meter which installs easily using a standard socket base. Performance data is uploaded in near real-time to the Locus ‘Energy SolarOS’ monitoring platform which provides tools and analytics for asset managers. AC energy data is collected by the meter and passed to the communications module. Additional system performance data can be collected directly from meteorological sensors and supported inverters via RS-485 or Zigbee connections. All data is stored in non-volatile memory and then automatically uploaded to SolarOS at user configurable intervals.
The LGate 320 is a three-phase electronic watt-hour meter for remote monitoring of light commercial solar PV systems. Like the LGate 120, the LGate 320 combines a revenue-grade, solid-state power meter with an advanced communications gateway which can communicate over cellular or Ethernet networks.
Applications
Meter/data-loggers for residential and commercial PV systems.
Platform
The LGate 120 for example is a one-piece completely under glass meter which installs easily using a standard socket base. Performance data is uploaded in near real-time to the Locus Energy SolarOS monitoring platform which provides a suite of tools and analytics for asset managers. AC energy data is collected by the meter and passed to the communications module. Additional system performance data can be collected directly from meteorological sensors and supported inverters via RS-485 or Zigbee connections. All data is stored in non-volatile memory and then automatically uploaded to SolarOS at user configurable intervals.
Availability
Currently available in the US.
