Real-time Power and Energy monitoring
At any time, monitor your solar power generation, electricity consumption, power sent to the grid, power pulled from the grid, or the difference between the two…. And if you have a battery back up with your solar, an EKM submetering system is a “must have.”
Revenue Grade
Cloud Enabled
Net Metering
UL/ANSI Certified
The PUSH3 data system provides you with free once/minute data to monitor in real time plus a summarized data set for unlimited long term trend monitoring and historical analysis.
Solar Metering Options
We have a great system for monitoring the energy generation from your solar PV system. Our Omnimeters monitor both Total kWh and Reverse kWh, which allows you to monitor both generation and consumption. That is to say, how much electricity flows to, or from, the grid. You will be able to monitor both how much electricity you are generating and how much you are consuming. It will allow you to assess the performance of your systems and determine if they are performing as expected, or whether they could be improved. Depending on the parameters that you want to meter (solar generation, total consumption, net of generation/consumption, power sent to the grid, power pulled from the grid), you may need to use two meters. The options diagramed below show the various ways to meter a solar array and what each will provide by way of information.
Our Omnimeter Pulse v.4 and Omnimeter Pulse UL v.4 are great options for solar Net Metering (see Option 3 below). In addition to Total and Reverse kWh, that all of our Omnimeter models provide, these meters also provide the direction of current in real time. This makes it possible to know, in real time, if you are generating more power than you are consuming, and whether you are sending or pulling power, to or from the grid. Both of these meters are listed by the California Solar Initiative as eligible for Performance Based Incentives (PBI). In other words, you may be eligible to earn money back from your Utility, in California, by using one these meters to monitor the performance of your solar array. Check with your local Utility to see if you are eligible.
Option 1
If you have a submeter at the output of your inverter, you will know how much power your solar inverter is producing but you will not know for sure how much power you are consuming vs how much power you are sending to the grid.
Option 2
If you have the submeter on your load, you will know how much you are consuming but will not know where the power is coming from, i.e., how much your solar array is producing vs. how much power you are getting from the grid.
Option 3 (Net Metering)
If you have a submeter right next to your utility meter, you will know how much energy you are sending and receiving from the grid (by the meter's Total kWh and Reverse kWh values), but will not know exactly how much your solar is producing and how much your load is consuming from your solar. In this case, for example, the submeter could be reading 0 Net kWh because your solar is producing 3,000 watts and your house is consuming 3,000 watts.
Option 4
If you install two submeters, one on the output of your inverter, and one on the load, this would tell you (with some math) everything you need to know: how much the solar is producing, how much you are consuming, and how much is being sent to or received from the grid.
Option 5
This installation also has two submeters, one on the output of your inverter and one on the utility side of your electrical panel. It will also tell you (with some additional math) everything you need to know: how much the solar is producing, how much you are consuming, and how much is being sent to or received from the grid.
