New Energy Metering ICs Deliver 0.1 percent accuracy for both active and reactive measurements

Date: 3/2/2010

New Energy Metering ICs Deliver 0.1 percent accuracy for both active and reactive measurements.

Highest accuracy for billing and power quality monitoring applications

Analog Devices has designed its latest energy-metering integrated circuits to improve the accuracy and performance of commercial, industrial, and residential smart meters. A smart meter accurately measures how much electricity is consumed or generated, and communicates the collected data to the utility provider.

The ADE7878, ADE7868, ADE7858, and ADE7854 high-accuracy energy metering ICs are designed for poly-phase configurations, including three and four wire, wye and delta services. The devices feature 0.1 percent accuracy for both active and reactive energy measurements over a dynamic range of 1000:1 - a first for the industry - and 0.2 percent accuracy for both active and reactive energy measurements over a dynamic range of 3000:1. The new products also deliver 0.1 percent accuracy over 1000:1 dynamic range for RMS (root-mean square) current and voltage measurements.

In addition to per-phase and neutral-energy measurements, the ADE7868 and ADE7878 are able to monitor energy quality parameters such as SAG, peak, period, angle measurements and phase sequence. Another industry first is the ability of the ADE7868 and ADE7878 to detect various tamper conditions - while continuing to operate properly - reducing field calls and meter troubleshooting time.

According to Ronn Kliger, Energy Group director, Analog Devices the four new devices are the first in the industry to measure both reactive energy and active energy with 0.1 percent accuracy: “In addition, the ADE7878 is able to measure fundamental-only energies, a critical ability when measuring power quality”, Kliger said. “The new devices enable smart electricity meters to deliver improved billing accuracy for consumers together with the advanced power quality monitoring, and reduced operating costs that utility companies need.”

Background
Industry analysts predict that up to 200 million smart meters will be installed worldwide in the next five years, fueled by the growing number of smart grid deployments. In China, where a $596 billion stimulus program for smart grid expansion is currently underway, 170 million smart meters will be deployed within the next three to five years. In the US some eighteen million homes - 13 percent of all U.S. households - will get smart meters within three years as part of the government’s program to upgrade the country's electricity grid. In Europe, Italy and Sweden have already completed Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) deployments that converted all meters to smart meters while France, Spain, Germany and the UK are scheduled to complete their AMI roll-out within the next 10 years.