Smart Grid: Smart Grid Technology Review: PQube Power Quality Monitor Page 1 of 5

Search: Get SGN's free email Enter your Email here

Contact | Advertise | Advanced Search newsletter
What's in the SGN email? | Twitter | Facebook | Linkedin | RSS

HOME NEWS STIMULUS BUSINESS T&D END USE TECHNOLOGIES KEY PLAYERS VIDEOS

EXTRA!

Tech Take
Smart Grid Technology Review: PQube
Power Quality Monitor
Oct 20, 2009

Smart Grid company: PSL

Smart Grid product: PQube Power Quality Monitor
PQube score: 90 out of 100
In SGN's Tech Take articles, power engineer and architect Erich Gunther evaluates actual
products and services against the SGN Smart Grid Scorecard. Unless disclosed explicitly at
the beginning of the article, neither SGN nor Erich Gunther has received any compensation
from the vendor nor do they own stock in the company.

One of the promises of the Smart Grid is improved power quality. The reliability or continuity
of service is one of the results that will come from the implementation of the self-healing
aspects of the Smart Grid. Power electronics are getting smarter, as well. Sensitivity to
minor perturbations of the electricity supply is becoming less of a concern. That may be due
to the design of equipment for the global marketplace and standards around the world that
address voltage quality.

Matching equipment specifications to the delivered electric power is a matter of faith. The
wiring from the utility to the point of use has been done by experienced technicians and
inspected by safety experts. The protection has been carefully planned, installed, and
inspected. The interactions of different electric equipments have been considered, so normal SMART GRID NEWS TALK BACK BUZZ
operation of elevators don’t interfere with the normal operation of copiers. Equipment
disruptions are often blamed on the incoming electric power. Smart Grid Secuirty Assumed
A common public assumption is that
The PSL PQube is a power quality monitor that can help determine the cause of electric the grid is and will be secure. Currently
disruptions. Installed at the service entrance, it this is far from the case, as there are
monitors the commercial electricity, noting the time few standards and protocols in place to
and duration of any abnormal voltage or current. It enforce this notion. Without true, built-
will draw a picture of the event, and send you an in security as a fundamental basis of
email if you like. It records events and trends and the grid, further build-out of the grid is
actually exposing us attacks and
preserves the history of the electric service.
vulnerability, not lessening it. Basically,
Installed at the point of use, the PQube sees what ...
the equipment sees, so if a disruption occurs, a
record is made for investigation.
Talk Back right now to Brooks La
It’s impressive. We now use it on Smart Grid Lab Gree
projects and have another monitoring the power to
our offices. If you need a low-cost, high-
performance instrument that does full-blown power
quality monitoring, lab-grade energy monitoring, DC bus monitoring, and carbon footprint
monitoring, take a look at the PQube. When you add all the options discussed below, it © 2010 SmartGridNews
costs roughly $2k.

There is no software cost (actually, there is no software), there is no on-going service cost,
and the firmware upgrades are free.

The SGN Scorecard

The SGN Scorecard was developed for a very important reason: Most of today's products do
not adhere to Smart Grid principles. They do not support the requirements envisioned by
Smart Grid researchers such as EPRI, the California Energy Commission's Public Interest
Energy Research program, the Modern Grid Initiative and DOE's GridWise program. Nor do
they adhere to the mandates in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.

In particular, several elements of the EPRI IntelliGrid Architecture are critical to

implementing a Smart Grid:
 Proven, Internet-derived communication technologies
 Service-based architecture at the enterprise level
 Self-healing technology

http://www.smartgridnews.com/artman/publish/Delivery_Distribution_Automation_Revi... 2010-09-11
Smart Grid: Smart Grid Technology Review: PQube Power Quality Monitor Page 2 of 5

 Self healing technology

 Well-defined interfaces and points of interoperability
 Application of industry and international standards
 Built-in security and network management

The SGN Scorecard is a checklist that measures whether products meet minimum Smart
Grid standards. We use it as the benchmark for all Smart Grid technology reviews. You are
invited to use it free of charge for your own evaluations. For a further explanation and a blank
version you can copy freely, download the PDF version of the Scorecard. (See link below.)

Background
The PQube puts all of its outputs on a removable SD card (digital camera memory card)
using Windows FAT32 file structure. The folders are well structured and labeled. The
standard 2GB card included with the PQube holds roughly 2 years of data. When nearly full,
the PQube will delete the oldest month’s data, making a circular saving pattern.

There is no software from PSL. Instead, the PQube stores all of its data in widely-supported
file formats.

The PQube stores data on the SD card in three native file formats:

 CSV (Excel) files for raw data

 GIF (picture) files for quick review
 PQDIF files.

The user can choose to have data stored in any or all of these formats. Summaries are also
available, stored as text, HTML, and XML files.

The PQube itself is a DIN-rail mounted instrument roughly the size of a large digital camera.
It has four AC voltage screw terminals (L1, L2, L3, and N) that are UL-recognized for
connection to up to 690-volts nominal (useful in wind turbine applications). It also has two +/-
60V DC screw terminals, with available attenuators for +/-600Vdc and +/-1500Vdc, typically
used for DC bus monitoring. There is a digital input that is wetted for direct connection to
relay or switch contacts, and a dry relay contact output.

Optional modules snap onto the PQube like Legos. They include various 4-channel current
modules (20-amp, 100-amp, 1-amp, 5-amp, 1-volt, 5-volt, and 10-volt), and an Ethernet
module with firmware that includes an email client, a web server, an FTP server, and an
SNTP client. We snapped together a PQube, an optional Ethernet module, and a 1-amp
current module for testing in the server room.

The PQube allows the user to set PT ratios up to 10,000:1 and CT ratios up to 10,000:1. It
supports calculated current waveforms when N-1 CTs are installed.

The $2k single-quantity price mentioned above includes the base 3-phase PQube, an
optional 4-channel current module, an optional Ethernet module, and a power supply.
Through their web site PSL offers “kits” for the most common configurations.

The PQube has three classes of outputs:

 On-screen live meters. On its organic LED color screen, the PQube provides
meters for L-L and L-N voltages, currents, frequency, time, date, RMS flicker, watts,
watt-hours, CO2 grams per hour, CO2 grams generated or avoided, VA, VAR, power
factor, lists of recent events, temperature, humidity, DC voltages, THD, TDD,
unbalance, phase rotation vectors.
 Triggered events. These include sags, swells, interruptions, frequency variations,
DC undervoltage and overvoltage, 1-microsecond impulse detection. A triggered
event causes 256-samples-per-cycle waveform recording, plus cycle-by-cycle RMS
recording. Cross-triggering is supported. The raw data for all of these recordings is
available in CSV (Excel) files, GIF (picture) files, and PQDIF files.
 Trends and statistics. These include 24-hour, weekly, and monthly graphs of
min/avg/max values for all parameters: voltage, current, frequency, DC, RMS flicker
(Pinst, Pst, PLT), two channels of temperature and humidity, power, power factor,
unbalance, THD, TDD, etc. The 24-hour files contain minute-by-minute min/avg/max
values of each parameter. The weekly and monthly files contain 5-minute
min/avg/max values of each parameter. The PQube calculates and graphs
cumulative probabilities, histograms, and load duration curves for each parameter.
All of this raw data is available CSV (Excel) files, GIF pictures, and PQDIF files.

A typical graph recorded at EnerNex by the

PQube as a GIF picture – the raw data is also
available as CSV spreadsheet files, or PQDIF
files.

http://www.smartgridnews.com/artman/publish/Delivery_Distribution_Automation_Revi... 2010-09-11
Smart Grid: Smart Grid Technology Review: PQube Power Quality Monitor Page 3 of 5

Voltage, current, and frequency trends

recorded by the PQube (not at EnerNex).
Again, the raw data is also available as CSV
spreadsheet files, or PQDIF files. This picture
downloaded through http directly from a
PQube (no software, no server).

Communications
The PQube works with or without an Ethernet connection. We used it in the server room
both ways.

Without an Ethernet connection, the user just pops the SD card out and looks at the contents
(just like a digital camera) on his PC.

With an Ethernet connection, the PQube can:

 Send email to up to 10 recipients each time it records an event, or a daily, weekly, or
monthly trend/statistics report. The Excel, picture, and PQDIF files are sent as
attachments to the email. The built-in PQube email client supports SMTP, POP,
plain-text, MD5. The PQube can also receive emails, which provides a convenient
way to change the setup, upgrade the PQube’s firmware, etc. Email is generally the
least challenging way to deal with IT department issues.
 Provide a real-time web site. For example, during our testing we looked at a PQube
in California. The web site includes roughly 35 real-time meters, plus all events
(including dual-language graphs) and all trend-statistics reports.
 Provide FTP-protocol service. This can be a simple way to transfer files from the
PQube’s SD card to a local computer.
 Provide Modbus-over-TCP service. Simple access to meters via many low-cost
programs.

NOTE: The PQube does not provide any security for its communications, other than simple
text-based passwords. PSL points out that it is a component in a system, and relies on the
external system to which it’s connected to provide both communication security and physical
security.

Setup
The user sets up the PQube by editing a SETUP.INI text file on the PQube’s SD card. This
makes it easy to set up hundreds of PQubes the same way – just copy the file. The setup file
contains things like thresholds, types of files to be written, email addresses to send to, and
ways of turning channels and reports on and off.

The SETUP.INI file is long, but well documented with comments. For many of the
parameters, the user can choose “AUTO”. For example, nominal line-to-line voltage can be
set to any value between 100 volts and 690 volts, or the user can set it to AUTO and the
PQube will figure it out. The PQube knows more than 100 commonly used worldwide power
configurations.

Accuracy
The basic accuracy specified for the PQube is 0.05% for voltage channels, and 0.2% for
current channels.

Interestingly, you can download an individual NIST-trace Calibration Report for every
individual PQube, just by entering its serial number on this page. A brief review of one of
these reports showed that the PQube we were testing was, in fact, more than twice as
accurate as the published specification.

With this level of accuracy, essentially all of the errors will be dominated by the external
current transformer accuracy.

Agency Approvals
The PQube is UL-recognized, TUV-certified, CE-marked, and RoHS compliant. PSL certifies
61000-4-30 Class A for voltage dips, swells, and interruptions.

Pre-packaged Portable Version

The PQube is clearly designed as a fixed-installation component. But PSL does offer it pre-
packaged in a portable, IP65 (waterproof) enclosure for about $5k. The price includes water-
resistant connectors and cables, voltage clip leads, four premium-grade clamp-on current
transformers, Ethernet connectivity, 480-volt-rated UL-recognized circuit breaker, etc. We’re
told these are used in locations like offshore oil platforms, but that most users quickly realize
that it’s cheaper and more effective to permanently install a PQube – the cost of returning to
remove the portable package exceeds the cost of a PQube.

Comparing the PQube to Other Instruments

Probably the closest comparison is with the SoftSwitching iGrid monitor.

The PQube and the iGrid monitor are roughly the same price. The iGrid is packaged for
temporary installation, and comes with a web-based service that conveniently summarizes
the data captured by the iGrid monitor (the PQube does not come with or require any
service).

http://www.smartgridnews.com/artman/publish/Delivery_Distribution_Automation_Revi... 2010-09-11
Smart Grid: Smart Grid Technology Review: PQube Power Quality Monitor Page 4 of 5

The PQube samples roughly four times faster than the iGrid, and records many PQ
parameters that the iGrid does not (impulses, flicker, THD and TDD, unbalance, frequency
disturbances). Unlike the iGrid, the PQube also records current and power (watts, peak
demand, watt-hours, VARs, var-hours, power factor, carbon footprint). The PQube provides
detailed statistics and distributions for each parameter. The PQube is roughly 10 times as
accurate as the iGrid.

The PQube simultaneously monitors DC bus voltage and temperature/humidity; the iGrid
does not.

The data from the iGrid belongs to SoftSwitching, and is licensed for a significant annual fee
to the user. The data from the PQube belongs to the user. Unlike the iGrid, the PQube is
standards-based: it supports PQDIF, 61000-4-30, and has better standards-based
communication abilities (email, FTP, web server, etc.). The PQube comes standard with 100
times as much memory as the iGrid. The PQube can work either with or without a
communication connection; the iGrid requires a communication connection to function.

Smart Grid Scorecard for PSL PQube Power Quality Monitor

Score 90 of 100
Metric Score Comment
(10 is best)
Impact 9 The PQube provides diagnostic information, but also
up-to-date energy usage information. Consumers see
1-second, 1-minute, 15-minute peak demand, carbon
footprint rate, accumulated carbon from the source,
etc.
Openness 10 The lack of proprietary software is a distinct
advantage. The system data can be accessed in a
number of standard ways. TCP/IP, FTP, email via
POP and SMTP. File formats are CSV (Excel,
OpenOffice), GIF (Microsoft Word, Photoshop) and
PQDIF.
Standardization 10 The system is thoroughly based on recognized
international standards. Certification by UL and
accuracy to NIST standards.
Security 8 Only normal password protection. Installed in an
Ethernet network environment, additional layers of
security might be applied.
Manageability 9 Remote diagnostics, time-stamping of all recordings,
upgrade ability via email, the system is very
manageable. The system has built in SNTP and
optional GPS timekeeping.
Upgradeability 9 Firmware is maintained by installing the new file on the
SD card, or by email or using the built-in FTP server.
The communications, configuration and security
credentials can be changed or corrected remotely.
Scalability 9 There is no limit to the applications. May be installed
at any electric point using any configuration. The data
formats (PQDIF, GIF, CSV, etc.) are compatible with
any legacy software or hardware system. The system
can be applied to monitor generator, transmission,
substation, distribution, service entrance, submetering,
and/or sensitive loads.

Extensibility 8 The modules are designed to be interchangeable.

The system automatically detects the applied voltage
and configuration. The device itself accommodates
AC or DC power.
Cost-Effective 9 The value of the data might be immeasurable. The
ability to remotely look into power disturbances or to
collect reliable data on performance has significant
value.
Self-Healing 10 The battery operation permits the unit to survive a loss
of power and capture the return of the power. No data
is lost at any time. Communications is integrated and
offers a number of communications protocols including
Internet and MODBUS.
Interactivity 9 The on-screen CO2 meter, on-screen watt and watt-
hour meter, on-screen power factor meter, plus daily
trends and statistics give the owner complete
disclosure of electric energy utilization.

Conclusions
The PQube turns out to be very Smart Grid friendly. Its role is to monitor the electricity
available and to report anything unusual. By also noting the energy use, the electrical
demand and even the carbon dioxide emitted from the power stations to generate the power
used. That can be computed from national averages or modified if you have better
information. The fact that it does not use proprietary software is great news. The
configuration is done by modifying a textfile; the data is distributed through well-known
formats including GIF pictures and comma-separated spreadsheet files. Post-processing for
additional data such as the harmonic spectrum data can be performed on the CSV data file.

Upgrades to the firmware are free and will incorporate additional features as they become
available. All-in-all, this is a well-designed power quality monitor that supports the basic
tenets of the Smart Grid.

Erich W Gunther is Chairman of EnerNex Corporation He chairs the UtilityAMI /

http://www.smartgridnews.com/artman/publish/Delivery_Distribution_Automation_Revi... 2010-09-11
Smart Grid: Smart Grid Technology Review: PQube Power Quality Monitor Page 5 of 5

Erich W. Gunther is Chairman of EnerNex Corporation. He chairs the UtilityAMI /

OpenHAN standards group and serves on the GridWise Architecture Council.

Research and principal writing credit: Bill Moncrief

Bill is a Consulting Engineer on the Smart Grid Engineering team at EnerNex Corporation.

Email Erich W. Gunther

Smart Grid Scorecard (PDF)
EPRI IntelliGrid Architecture Web site
GridWise Architecture Council
PSL Web site

Talk Back to the Author Current Comments (3) Leave a Comment

I'd like to learn the application of Pqube

I find the PQube very importante in the industry of power quality, so I would like to
know the application in field. If you can provide information of cost of it as well a the
cost of notes, articles and books about harmonics, reactors calculation to apply
solutions in a power installations, I realy appreciate any information, thank you very
much.

Sincerely,

Daniel Serrano
Daniel Serrano - 06/21/2010 - 05:49

Getting started
Hi, I like what you have and believe that as an Integrator I can develop a revenue path
using your device. My feet are just getting wet so do not know the pitfalls. Any
guidance would help. I heard the Siemens story in their road show but believe that this
will have to be implemented from the ground up. Can you help educate me more?
John L. Becker - 07/20/2010 - 06:27

Power system analyzers

To find the condition of power supplied to the platform distribution.
Umesh Sharma - 09/07/2010 - 04:26

New to this Blog? Need some help?

Leave a Comment

Email: [?]
We will not post or give your email address to anyone.

Full Real Name: [?]

Real comments need a real name.
Subject: [?]
Please provide a short subject for your comment.
Comment: [?]


Do not post commercial/sales messages here. They will be deleted. Try: pr@smartgridnews.com
PLEASE NOTE: All HTML codes will be removed from your comment.

CAPTCHA Security Code

[?]
Please type the characters you see into the box.
The numbers (0) and (1) are not used.

 Remember my name? (Uncheck to forget.)





Post Comment
You can not edit or delete your comment once it is posted. Please check for spelling now.
Your IP Address is: 64.42.230.202

http://www.smartgridnews.com/artman/publish/Delivery_Distribution_Automation_Revi... 2010-09-11