What to check before you order
- It sits on the inverter's grid side or at the collector-line boundary, and it meters exported energy, power factor, and harmonics. The figures are in the table.
- Modbus and the other ports join PV monitoring, a power-trading terminal, and the dispatch master.
- GPS time sync keeps events and grid-disturbance records on one clock, which is what a dispute needs.
- SimtoLink can show a register link for anti-backfeed and coordinated SVG control.
A settlement meter for the inverter
Built for distributed PV, commercial roofs, and agrivoltaic sites, where the grid-connection agreement and the bill both depend on accuracy, the port, and the clock at the metering point.
SimtoLink supplies a grid-acceptance checklist, a CT saturation check, and a note on sampling when the grid is weak. The meter can sit with a three-phase multifunction meter and a power-quality meter.
How the reading is protected
IEC 61000-4 level 4 items are on the record. Ports have surge and reverse-polarity protection. Ground is zoned so a loop or common-mode noise is less likely to move a register. Outdoor and coastal orders can take a higher ingress rating and a corrosion coating.
Parameters and thresholds load as a batch. Selected models store an event or a waveform. OTA carries settings and firmware. Accept the meter with a power-on self-test, a time sync, and a sample of registers. For metering or safety, SimtoLink helps with a third-party metrology submission and the type-test file.
Hardware figures
Typical order, for selection and for a bid clause. For a wider range, a redundant supply, or an intrinsically safe explosion-proof variant, ask SimtoLink for the hardware specification and the installation guide. Order codes can differ slightly; the nameplate and the papers in the box decide.
| Item | Specification | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Voltage | 3×220/380V | Self-powered |
| Current | 1(120)A | Anti-theft |
| Accuracy class | Class B | IEC 62052 |
| Harmonics | 2～54 orders | THD analysis |
| Communication | Modbus | Dual port |
| Clock | GPS time-sync module | Time-of-use tariffs |
| Pulse | Active and reactive pulse output | Opto-isolated |
| Power | <3.1 W | Single-phase or three-phase |
| Operating temperature | -36～67 ℃ | Outdoor meter box |
| Standard | IEC 62053 | Type approval |
Where the meter is read
Three places this meter is usually proved before it is left on the plant.
Commercial roofs
Self-consumption and the surplus that goes to the grid are metered, which is the figure a green-power consumption report uses.
Collector-line boundary
The sub-array meter is checked against the pad-mount transformer meter, which shows a mismatched string or an inverter that has derated.
Retail and subsidy audit
The clock cannot be rewritten and the energy can be frozen, which is what a regulator's spot check and an audit trail ask for.
Install, ground, and recheck
- Confirm the supply window and polarity before the meter is powered. Measure the bus and the breaker if the feed is uncertain.
- Shielded twisted pair, shield at one end, kept off long power-cable runs.
- Read, write, and trip one threshold against the platform in the lab, then move the meter to the point.
- Outdoors, let water leave and air move, look at the seal, and keep the lightning earth inside the local rule.
- Every 6 months, sample the registers and archive the log.
Order, documents, and support
SimtoLink supplies the hardware specification, the outline, a wiring table, and a sample project. Volume orders can include a sample review and a factory inspection. Warranty and calibration follow the contract and the papers in the box.
Related meters
Other meters that sit next to a meter-reading collector: