Which type of electrical meter best fits your needs?
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"Which type of electrical meter best fits your needs?"
When considering an electrical meter, several factors come into play, including the system type (single-phase, dual-phase, or three-phase, etc.), the hardware interface (Modbus/TCP, RESTful API, etc.), and the supported platforms, among others. This article aims to outline the selection criteria for choosing an energy meter based on various considerations.
| model | |
|---|---|
| Single Phase | WEM3080 |
| Single-Split (Dual or 2 Phase) and 3 Phase(Wye connection) | WEM3080T,WEM3046T,WEM3050T |
| 3 Phase(Delta connection) | WEM3080TD |
Single Phase system
WEM3080 is a bi-directional WiFi energy meter. It can be installed on the grid side to monitor the grid consumption and exported energy to the grid, or installed on the inverter side to monitor the solar inverter output, or to monitor some specific load, as long as they are single phase.
Because it is a bi-directional meter, when it is installed on the grid side, it will measure both imported and exported energy simultaneously. For more details, please refer to Monitor only "From Grid" and "To Grid" energy by one single phase energy meter (WEM3080)
Single-Split (Dual or 2 Phase) system
This system is known by various names, including the Edison three-wire system, dual-phase system, single-phase three-wire system, and single-split system. All of the above systems are the same, which is very common in North America and defined as below.
Dual phase — alternately known as split phase — is basically the same thing as single phase. Dual phase consists of an Alternating Current (AC) with two wires. In the United States, the typical power setup in households consists of two 120 V power wires — a phase A and a phase B, which are out of phase by 180 degrees. Many prefer this approach for its flexibility.
Dual phase grid
IAMMETER has not specifically offered a dual-phase meter. However, all of its 3-phase energy meters (WEM3080T, WEM3046T, WEM3050T) support split-phase measurement, which is suitable for a dual-phase system.
You can utilize any two phases from these products to measure the dual-phase system.
Split phase solar PV system( dual phase grid + dual phase inverter)
If you have a dual-phase solar inverter, you can use just one 3-phase meter to measure both the grid and inverter simultaneously.
Typically, when both the grid and inverter have dual phases (two phases for grid measurement and two for inverter output), four inputs are required. However, since the inverter output is balanced, only one input is needed to measure one of the two phases, and doubling the result will yield the total output. IAMMETER offers these functionalities for all its 3-phase energy meters.
The sketch map is as below.
For more details ,please refer to
Using a 3-Phase Energy Meter for Solar PV and Grid Consumption in a Split-Phase System
3 Phase system (Wye connection)
The majority of commercial buildings and factories use the three-phase power circuit. The power setup generally consists of four wires(three Live lines + one Neutral line).
Three-phase meters have diverse voltage ratings across different geographical regions. For instance, in North America, the rating might be 208Y / 120V, while in other areas it can be 380Y / 220V.
The three-phase energy meters mentioned - WEM3080T,WEM3046T,and WEM3050T - have the capability to support both split-phase measurement and three-phase (Wye/Star connection) measurement. This flexibility allows them to cater to different electrical system configurations, ensuring compatibility across various setups, whether it's a split-phase or a three-phase (Wye/Star connection) arrangement.
Single-phase system
The three-phase meter can be adapted for measuring a single phase system, as illustrated in the sketch map below.
Three phase system
If your system operates on a 3-phase 4-wire configuration, all of IAMMETER's 3-phase meters can function seamlessly .
Single phase solar PV system
If you have a single-phase solar PV system, you can utilize a single 3-phase meter to measure both the grid consumption and solar PV generation. This takes advantage of the split-phase measurement feature.
For more details ,please refer to https://www.iammeter.com/applications/solar-pv-system-monitoring
Or you can login the Demo account of IAMMETER
Three phase solar PV system
If both the grid and solar systems are operating on a 3-phase setup, using two meters facilitates the measurement process, although it's not obligatory to install both.
For those interested solely in monitoring the solar PV output, installing just one meter on the inverter side suffices. Similarly, if your focus is exclusively on tracking grid-imported or exported energy, installing a single meter on the grid side will serve the purpose.
However, if you opt to install meters on both the grid and inverter, you gain access to a comprehensive range of parameters. This includes measurements such as grid-imported and exported power and energy, solar yield power and energy, self-use rates, among other relevant metrics.
For more details ,please refer to https://www.iammeter.com/applications/solar-pv-system-monitoring
Or you can login the Demo account of IAMMETER
3 Phase system(Delta connection)
Some loads operate on a three-phase three-wire system, including motors, air conditioners, compressors, among others. To cater to this configuration, we offer a specialized three-phase meter designed specifically for measuring and monitoring three-phase three-wire systems.
WEM3080TD:3 phase 3 wires system,delta connection.
Hardware interface (Modbus/tcp,Mqtt,RESTful APIs..)
The hardware interface would also be an important concern when you are looking for the energy meter.
All of IAMMETER`s products support such interfaces below
- Modbus/TCP
- Mqtt
- http/https
- TCP/TLS
- RESTful APIs
For more details ,please refer to Various interface supported in IAMMETER`s energy meter
Platforms
With IAMMETER-cloud service
IAMMETER offers a comprehensive cloud and app service across all product series, accessible through IAMMETER-cloud and APP service. Additionally, IAMMETER provides a local monitoring system, IAMMETER-docker, designed for deployment on customers' servers.
All of IAMMETER`s products can work together with IAMMETER-cloud directly.
Without IAMMETER-cloud service
Integrating IAMMETER's energy meters into your system or various open-source platforms like Home Assistant, NodeRed, OpenHab, IObroker, Zabbix, Thingsboard, and more is straightforward.
To learn more about utilizing IAMMETER's products on other platforms, please refer to How to integrate IAMMETER's products into other platforms.
If you're certain that the IAMMETER-cloud service won't be necessary for your needs, we suggest choosing the WEM3050T. The WEM3050T provides a three-month IAMMETER-cloud service. Due to the absence of a permanent cloud service, it is priced more competitively compared to the other 3-phase meters (WEM3080T,WEM3046T).
