A contactless, energy-neutral power meter for smart city applications

Electrical energy management is fundamental to optimize the generation and usage of power within a Smart Grid; and the measurement of parameters of electrical systems is crucial for achieving efficient control on electric loads. Most of the existing smart metering devices use voltage probes which are invasive, because they need a direct connection to the electric conductor. We present an innovative three-phase clamp-on power meter that can be installed without breaking the circuit under measurement and without temporary interruption of the supply. It is used tight around the cable insulators and it measures both current and voltage of the underneath wire. Moreover, it enables the use of advanced signal processing algorithms such as Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring (NILM), which provides fine grain load detection even if a single point of measurement is used.