On-site and remote monitoring of consumers' electricity consumption has traditionally been based on actual detailed use measured at the last node of the network. However, reading of the “big picture” consumption in high-voltage lines has been impossible in practice.

With the PowerSense DISCOS system, electricity consumption can now be directly measured from high-voltage lines. Based on this innovative solution, a device which calculates electricity consumption by reading changes in the magnetic field is installed on an existing high-voltage line. This means that power distributors can measure actual electricity consumption on-line, enabling them to focus supply where it is needed at any given time.

PowerSense uses an ADC5000 series battery charger to charge the system's battery. The charger is equipped with temperature compensation, which ensures that the charging voltage is always correct, regardless of the ambient temperature. Temperature compensation prolongs the lifetime of the battery and lowers system maintenance costs.

Harry Lilja, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Powernet Oy, points out that ADC5000 was one of the first power supplies to enter the market with temperature-compensated charging and serial output diodes as standard. The ADC5000 series is used internationally, at wind-power plants, in process automation systems, in telecom applications, and in various industrial applications. Thanks to its high reliability, the ADC5000 has gained the trust of customers around the world.

PowerSense and Powernet began collaborating in 2008. Over the years, Powernet has provided PowerSense with thousands of ADC5000 products. Powernet’s partner in Denmark, Scanpocon A/S, has been in charge of local buffer stocks and customer service.

“The ADC5000 series has proven highly reliable in the smart grid market. Powernet is a flexible supplier, and we would happily recommend them as a vendor of high-quality power supply products,” says Claus.G.Christensen, Project Manager at PowerSense A/S.