Hybrid renewable energy monitoring
Use a Gateway to bring solar, wind, battery and connection measurements into one local record, then explain the site balance without losing each asset’s contribution.
- Measure
- Grid exchange, solar and wind output, battery charge and discharge, optional generator output and site loads
- Calculate
- A hybrid plant energy balance with common intervals and explicit losses
- Sensors
- ZEM-65, for suitable LV circuits; use approved plant meters and transducers for MV or utility boundaries Wireless 3-Phase Electricity Monitor datasheet
- On site
- ZGW-20 Gateway, keeps operational data in Edge and exports it to the owner’s analysis system Gateway datasheet
Locate the connection and every branch
A solar meter cannot explain a site where wind generation, a battery and a generator also change grid exchange. Mark each AC boundary on the single-line diagram. For DC-coupled assets behind one converter, record the shared AC result and use documented internal measurements for attribution; do not count the converter output twice.
Hardware for hybrid renewable energy monitoring
Match each interface to an approved electrical or data boundary. Quantity depends on the measured branches and available buses, not the number of technologies.
Combines the branch measurements with the shared connection record in Edge so the owner can reconcile the complete hybrid plant
1 per site up to 250 wireless devices
For suitable low-voltage circuits only
Independent AC branch or auxiliary-load measurement within the product’s rated LV installation boundary
1 per required LV boundary three-phase, 3 or 4 wire
- Choose the CT rating for a suitable low-voltage AC circuit: 120 A split-core, or 300 A, 1 kA and 3 kA Rogowski coils
Class 0.5S to IEC 62053-22 with its CTs, 110 to 480 V line to line, CAT III at 480 V
Only with a documented register map and an available single-master RS-485 bus
Reads approved connection meters and documented inverter, turbine, BESS or generator registers on an available Modbus RTU bus
1 per available bus up to 30 registers
Modbus RTU over RS-485, function codes 1 to 6, 15 and 16; it is not a transparent gateway
Separate the connection result from each asset
Use positive quantities for generation, import, discharge, export and charge. For matching intervals at a common AC boundary: site load plus losses equals PV plus wind plus generator plus battery discharge plus import, minus battery charge and export.
Bring independent measurements into the local record
The diagram shows operational acquisition only. The site’s protection, settlement metering and plant control remain in their approved systems.
- Wired
- Zigbee
- Edge
- Platforms
| Position | What it tells you | Reference | Sensor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shared grid connection | The combined import and export after all assets and site loads | Retain the approved connection meter, its CT or VT ratios and its sign convention Metering boundary | ZMB-31 (on this page), approved meter interface |
| Solar, wind and generator feeders | Each branch’s AC contribution, including its declared auxiliary loads | Use ZEM-65 only on suitable LV circuits; use engineered plant metering elsewhere Wireless 3-Phase Electricity Monitor datasheet | ZEM-65 (on this page), suitable LV circuits |
| Battery and equipment state | Charge, discharge, state of charge, permitted power, curtailment and alarms | Use exact equipment and firmware documentation; keep charge and discharge separate Energy balance | ZMB-31 (on this page), documented registers |
A residual is an observation. Unmetered auxiliaries, transformer losses, time misalignment, CT ratios and meter uncertainty can all change the difference. Investigate it before assigning a cause.
Stored energy has a history. A battery can charge from the grid or from several generators. Its discharge is not automatically renewable generation or PV self-consumption.
One authority writes in each mode. The approved EMS or PPC coordinates the plant. Monitoring clients remain read-only; an aggregator, local controller and plant controller must not compete for the same set point.
Explain the hybrid plant energy balance in Edge
Retain the source readings alongside every calculated total. Define the expected meter inventory, units, interval boundaries and input age before publishing the balance.
- Compare equivalent intervals
- Use aligned energy intervals for an energy balance. Adding the latest power samples is an operational estimate, not a simultaneous electrical measurement.
- Make incomplete data visible
- Configure stale-input suppression where all branches are required. The previous displayed result can remain: check its timestamp, source age and expected-input completeness before using it.
- Separate curtailment from faults
- Compare measured output with fresh weather, operating mode, active limits and equipment alarms. Low output alone cannot identify a failed plant or quantify lost generation.
- Observe control without adding a writer
- Record requested, accepted, permitted and measured power separately. Any later control project needs an exact approved contract, one active writer, command expiry and verified physical response.
Commissioning checks
Commission the operational record with the site engineer. Use approved tests that leave protection, safety and grid-operator systems in authority.
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Every branch has one boundary
Trace the connection, converters, generator, battery and auxiliaries against the single-line diagram.
Pass when each flow is included once and the common AC boundary is documented.
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Signs, scales and clocks agree
Compare known import, export, charge and discharge conditions using the approved site test plan.
Pass when units, CT or VT ratios, directions, timestamps and intervals match the measurement schedule.
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The residual is explained
Compare aligned totals across several operating modes and retain uncertainty and unmetered-load estimates.
Pass when the residual is assessed against a declared tolerance, with unresolved differences recorded.
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Missing data cannot appear current
In an approved test environment, stop one input and inspect calculations, alarms and exported records.
Pass when missing or stale input is visible and an old total is not presented as a fresh complete balance.
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Control and evidence owners are named
Review operating modes, write permissions, the metering schedule and operator signal requirements.
Pass when one approved writer is identified per mode and monitoring remains separate from protection and settlement.
Keep grid obligations outside the operating estimate
The shared connection is a measurement boundary, not an automatic approval for control or market participation.
- Operational measurements do not replace revenue or settlement metering, protection relays, synchronisation, anti-islanding, emergency systems or the approved export-limitation scheme.
- TSO or DSO telemetry and service tests follow the connection agreement and applicable service rules. An Edge record alone does not prove their required accuracy, timing, availability or acceptance.
- The battery BMS and PCS retain their safety and power limits. The site EMS or PPC retains plant coordination; this guide establishes no EpiSensor write path.
- A net connection value cannot allocate export to a particular generator or prove renewable origin. DC-coupled assets and storage require additional measurement and an explicit attribution method.
Sources
- System Services Testing (opens in a new tab) (opens in a new tab) EirGrid
- Wireless 3-Phase Electricity Monitor datasheet (opens in a new tab) EpiSensor. Specifications, ranges and ordering codes.
Related
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Solar PV monitoring
An independent meter on the PV output, another at the grid connection, and the inverter's own registers beside them for context. -
Battery energy storage monitoring and local control
Measure the battery, its connection and operating limits as separate records. Where the exact approved contract exists, a Demand Response Controller can send and verify a local request. -
Generator remote monitoring
An independent meter proves what the generator carried, the controller says what it thought it was doing, and the fuel signal says how long it can keep going.
- OverviewEnergy monitoring
- CalculatorThree-phase power calculator
- CalculatorInterval demand calculator
- GuideRenewable energy grid integration and stability
- GuideOperational monitoring, revenue metering and settlement
Third-party devices for this application
More in the Device Directory: Energy meters (62), Current transformers (7)
Map the whole hybrid site before specifying meters
Bring the single-line diagram, existing meter schedule, equipment interfaces and control-authority record to an engineer.