WattNode® Electric Power Meters — Now Offered With ANSI C12.1-2008 Certification

At Solar Power International 2013, Continental Control Systems will showcase its entire line of WattNode® electric power meters, including the revenue-grade WattNode Revenue family. Providing support for Modbus®, BACnet®, or LonTalk® communications protocol or a pulse output, the WattNode Revenue meters are fully tested and compliant to ANSI C12.1. Because of their economical price point and compact design, WattNode Revenue meters are an ideal OEM design-in for PV production monitoring.

Recently, the WattNode Revenue Modbus became the first meter in the Revenue line to be certified to the requirements of the American National Standard for Electric Meters — Code for Electricity Metering: ANSI C12.1-2008. The ANSI C12.1-2008 standard establishes acceptable performance criteria and in-service performance levels for meters used in revenue metering, and is often referenced by government and regulatory bodies when approving meters for use within their jurisdiction.

"This past week the WattNode Modbus was added to the California Energy Commission (CEC) list titled 'List of Eligible System Performance Meters,'" said Cynthia A. Boyd, director of sales at Continental Control Systems. "Having our meters listed and recognized as PBI Eligible on the Go Solar California website provides us new opportunities not only in California, but also in the New York, New Jersey, and New England PV markets."

All WattNode energy meters provide line-powered single- and three-phase, wye, or delta configurations up to 600 Vac and loads to 6000 Amps. The WattNode Pulse Opt.PV offers an innovative way, using a single meter, to separately measure energy taken from the grid, exported to the grid and produced by the PV system. The newest member of the family, the WattNode BACnet meter, supports full self-discovery of the meter and all of its objects, offering more than 50 electric power-related measurements, 64 addresses, and selectable baud rates up to 76.8K. The unit has been accepted for listing by the BACnet Testing Laboratory (BTL).

CTL Series Revenue-Grade, Split-Core Current Transformers

Continental Control Systems' ACT and CTL lines of revenue-grade, split-core current transformers (CT) provide IEEE C57.13 Class 0.6 revenue-grade accuracies together with a UL listing for energy management equipment in accordance with UL 916 and CSA C22.2 No. 610010-1. The result is current transformers for use on loads to 400 Amps that combine the ease of installation of an opening current transformer with the accuracy normally associated with solid-core current transformers. With their 333.33 mVac output, they are an ideal companion to the WattNode® Revenue meter for revenue-grade electric power metering applications.

New CTRC Rogowski Coil Current Transformer

At Solar International 2013, Continental Control Systems will show its CTRC-series Rogowski coil current transformer, which greatly simplifies installations to meet the increasing demand for accurate current measurement on conductors where traditional split-core and solid-core CTs are difficult to use. With its flexible design, the CTRC is perfect for large bus bars and irregular-shaped conductor bundles. The new coil offers a small flexible profile which allows it to be used on conductors in tight spaces where rigid CTs won't fit.

Available for single- and three-phase services, the output of the CTRC's flexible coil is connected to a conditioning circuit, where it is converted to a low-voltage signal (0 to 333.33 mVac) compatible with any WattNode® meter for accurate energy (kWh) and power (kW) production and consumption measurements. The UL-recognized CTRC models provides accuracy of ±1.0 percent from 5 percent to 120 percent of rated current for loads up to 6000 Amps. The Rogowski coil is offered in four standard diameters from 3.1-inch round (loads to 100 Amps) to 12-inch round (loads to 6000 Amps). Non-standard configurations are available upon request.

Company Overview:

Founded in 1995, Colorado-based Continental Control Systems specializes in the design and manufacture of electric power metering equipment. The company's meters and current transformers are designed to provide revenue-grade electrical measurements including power (kW) and energy (kWh). The WattNode® meters communicate using a variety of communication protocols: BACnet®, Modbus®, and LonWorks® or as pulse outputs. Applications for the WattNode® meter and Accu-CT® current transformers include measurement and verification of energy production, energy and power consumption measurement for building automation and energy management, tenant submetering, and net metering.