The electric grid, which has been referred to as “the world’s largest machine,” is becoming decentralized through a transition to more distributed generation and storage. This shift is making energy supply a semi-localized problem, and it’s already impacting utilities. Given the speed with which renewable power and other disrupters are being adopted, along with the load growth projected from data centers and electrification of transportation, it’s unlikely the power sector will be able to build its way out of the grid issues the energy transition presents.
Rapid growth of renewables at the edge is one challenge. The last mile of the electrical distribution system has many blind spots for the utility. While some utilities have begun to deploy overhead line sensors and distribution transformer monitors to improve visibility, these sensors are typically not deployed along laterals and do not provide a complete picture of what is happening at the service transformer and along the secondary service drop to the customer’s home.
High-end waveform-sensing meters like Revelo® serve as a grid sensor at every metering point. They enable grid operators to monitor grid health more accurately and quickly, with alerts and data flowing into utility systems in near real-time.
A new whitepaper from Landis+Gyr, "Balancing the Power: Why waveform-sensing meters support emerging grid needs", examines these benefits in greater detail.
Here are a few examples:
More data, more quickly
Having this type of data delivers far more visibility and insight than sensors placed strategically along feeders or in substations. In part, this is because data is coming from more sources. Also vitally important is that these sensors are connected to phases and transformers, which allows for correlations that can help pinpoint an anomaly or locate an outage. First-generation AMI meters do not provide the data granularity and real-time insights these second-generation waveform-sensing meters deliver.
Higher harmonics
In addition, the waveform-sensing meters capture higher harmonics than first-generation AMI meters. Those earlier AMI meters usually topped out around the twenty-third harmonic, while waveform meters can go all the way up to the sixty-third harmonic. That will be important as the prevalence of harmonics escalates with the increasing numbers of DERs—inverter-based technologies—on distribution systems.
Improved situational awareness
High-resolution waveform analysis at the grid edge delivers quantifiable benefits in the form of improved situational awareness. In addition to awareness of DER and EV charging operations, it provides fault detection, status of distribution equipment, and overall outage prevention, by combining both metrology and sensing functions in the meter. Availability of this intelligence enables utilities to forego investments in additional devices for fault detection on lateral circuits and for transformer monitoring, to name two examples.
ROI
In a typical distribution circuit serving 1,500 homes and businesses, the cost of line sensors and distribution transformer monitors can equate to $100 per electric service on the circuit. When combined with the other advantages waveform sensing provides on both the consumer and grid side of the meter, the opportunity to realize a tangible return on investment from both avoided costs and real savings exceeds that of first-generation AMI meters.
Grid edge apps
An AMI system generally provides data only on voltage and current. Analysis of this data on back-office systems can enable detection of power quality events. On the other hand, a waveform-sensing meter can provide real-time alerting capabilities by analyzing data at the grid edge using edge-computing apps, so it can provide more comprehensive power quality information, such as:
As grid demands grow more complex, the risk of service interruptions increases. By transforming everyday grid devices into intelligent sensors, Landis+Gyr is helping utilities stay ahead of disruption, reduce downtime, and deliver more reliable, efficient service to their customers. With Revelo’s intelligent edge computing capabilities and high-resolution data capture, combined with AI-based advanced analytics, utilities can build a grid that’s no longer reactive — it’s responsive, adaptive, and future-ready.