Meter ‘bundle’ release targets off-market billing for solar PPAs and local microgrids

Compact solution helps overcome the space barrier in electricity switchboards while providing the power of real-time data

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, September 6, 2018 /EINPresswire.com/ -- A growing boom in the installation of investor-funded rooftop solar systems - that are paid off over subsequent years through Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) - has highlighted a gap in the marketplace for suitable energy meters.

What’s required is an all-in-one metering solution¹ that can simultaneously support monitoring of solar system production and performance, provide revenue-grade billing data, communicate over the air, and ideally also allow remote control at circuit-level as well.

Wattwatchers, the Sydney-based energy technology company specialising in real-time monitoring and control of electrical circuits through the cloud, is now inviting input from potential customers and taking pre-release orders for its new ‘Auditor 6M+One’ product line.

This two-meters-in-a-bundle solution combines the benefits of the Wattwatchers multi-channel cellular-communicating Auditor 6M with a secondary digital meter that is pattern-approved in Australia, through the National Measurement Institute (NMI), for use in the trade of electricity.

Each of the meters comes in a compact, DIN-mounted form factor², making the total package substantially smaller than traditional utility-style smart meters, but with significantly greater functionality embedded in the ‘combo’. The conventional solution consists of two full-scale smart meters which takes more than 8 times as much space on the switchboard, takes longer to install, costs more up-front and more to operate.

The first-generation examples of the cellular Auditor 6M+One bundles are being scheduled for delivery by December 2018. These will feature:

Single-phase version - a single-phase, non-communicating, NMI pattern-approved meter (two DIN-units wide) that transmits its data to the cloud through the real-time, cellular-communicating Wattwatchers Auditor 6M using ModBus (cable connection between the two devices). This allows up to six channels of energy monitoring plus the billing data channel.

Three-phase version - a three-phase, non-communicating, NMI pattern-approved meter (six DIN-units wide), in a bundle with the Auditor 6M which can accurately monitor two three-phase circuits using the Wattwatchers device plus billing-compliant data for three phases from the secondary meter.

ModBus-enabled switching units that can remotely control two circuit-based loads will be added in 2019.

Use cases include:
-Solar PPAs for commercial and residential PV systems
-Behind-the-utility-meter microgrids and embedded networks

Wattwatchers CEO Gavin Dietz said that the company was seeing strong early market interest in the Auditor 6M+One product line, with early prototypes already deployed in the field via established partners, and updated prototypes and a firmware/software beta release pending.

‘This bundled solution offers the best of both worlds, with real-time remote monitoring and off-market billing data from the one installation,’ said Dietz. ‘That’s a compelling offer for the fast-growing service sector enabling PPAs, for both residential and commercial sites, and the emerging potential growth area for microgrids and embedded networks behind-the-gate-meters.

‘In the Wattwatchers view of the future, the market-facing and consumer-facing aspects of electricity metering, monitoring and management will increasingly merge together, and Wattwatchers will be a leading player in this rapidly evolving technology world for energy.

‘Wattwatchers will continue to approach the traditional energy market differently, innovating, disrupting and putting both our partners and energy consumers front and centre. This is just the first step in what we have planned, and allows for IT investment to be made efficiently in the first instance for our entire energy ecosystem.’

SURVEY INVITATION - Want more product information? Please answer our survey questions for the Auditor 6M+One product release - TAKE ME TO THE SURVEY³

NOTE: The Auditor 6M+One is not designed to operate as an on-grid billing meter for standard energy retailer services in the competitive market, including for reconciliation with the market (i.e. the National Electricity Market covering the Australian eastern states, or the Wholesale Energy Market of Western Australia).

About Wattwatchers:

Wattwatchers Digital Energy is an award-winning Australian technology company focused on devices, data and communications to make behind-the-meter energy management intelligent, connected, easy to install and operate, and cost-effective. Based in Sydney, Wattwatchers develops and markets ‘IoT for energy’ hardware + firmware + software solutions to accurately monitor, analyse and control electrical circuits in real-time through the cloud. The internationally-certified Wattwatchers product suite is highly flexible, crossing over for residential, commercial and industrial, and utility use cases; and works with an expanding choice of cloud platforms, software applications and consumer interfaces. More information at: https://wattwatchers.com.au

Murray Hogarth
Wattwatchers
+61 417 267235
email us here

¹ https://wattwatchers.com.au
² https://wattwatchers.com.au
³ https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KX2ZQ7Z