Meters and Instrumentation for Grid-Connected Systems
Meters and other monitoring equipment help you keep track of how your system is performing.
Photo credit: Warren Gretz.
Meters and other instruments allow you to monitor your small renewable energy system's battery voltage, the amount of power you are consuming, and the level at which your batteries are charged, for example.
If you are connecting your system to the electricity grid, you will need meters to keep track of the electricity your system produces and the electricity you use from the grid. Some power providers will allow you to use a single meter to record the excess electricity your system feeds back into the grid (the meter spins forward when you are drawing electricity, and backward when your system is producing it).
Power providers that don't allow such a net metering arrangement require that you install a second meter to measure the electricity your system feeds into the grid.
Also, see how to read residential electric meters.