As we’ve written before, solar monitoring is an absolute must for any new solar installation. Now Locus Energy has given installers two new options to do just that.
Locus Energy has launched the LGate 120 and 320 — its next generation of smart meters designed to allow solar installers and asset managers to more easily collect, monitor and analyze performance data from both residential and light commercial solar PV systems.
Together with Locus Energy’s web-based SolarOS monitoring platform, the new meters enable solar fleet operators to efficiently gather data for troubleshooting, asset optimization and performance guarantee/billing functions. The LGate 120 and 320 have the following features:
- ANSI C12.20 class 20 revenue-grade power-meter – form 2S single-phase for the 120 and form 16S polyphase for the 320
- Integrated 3G GSM cellular modem and Ethernet connectivity
- Lower/higher bandwidth settings to optimize cellular data cost
- Rich data set collected: kWh, kW, amperage, voltage, power factor and frequency in 5 minute increments
- Installation in less than 30 minutes
- Inverter-direct communication and fault detection supported for major brands of inverters
- Plug and play connectivity with over-the-air firmware upgrades
- Option for embedded Zigbee radio
Until recently, cellular socket meters available for PV monitoring have been mainly repurposed utility meters, which have focused on consumption and demand as opposed to the PV industry’s requirements. The LGate 120 and 320 are the first cellular smart meters designed specifically to measure the performance of PV installations. 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.
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