Locus Energy Launches LGate 360 Data Acquisition System for Monitoring Commercial and Utility-Scale Solar Systems

HOBOKEN, N.J., Feb. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Locus Energy, a solar monitoring services and data analytics platform provider, has launched the LGate 360, its next-generation control panel designed specifically for plug-and-play performance data acquisition for commercial and utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) installations.  The standard configuration combines a revenue-grade power meter and Modbus-enabled datalogger pre-wired in an outdoor-rated enclosure. The LGate 360 can also be specified to collect data from a variety of peripheral devices and meteorological sensors, allowing site owners and operators to more efficiently manage solar PV assets.

While one of the smaller costs of a PV system, solar monitoring solutions can be one of the most difficult components to design, install and commission. Locus Energy's data acquisition systems hardware supports a wide range of metering options and leverages cellular communications, allowing system stakeholders to drive down the overall cost and complexity of system installations. Combined with full-featured and easy to use web-based software, Locus Energy's monitoring solutions vastly simplify the process of gathering, organizing and visualizing solar performance data.

The LGate 360 features include a high quality metal enclosure; a wide-input range power supply accommodating all three phase power configurations; and integrated RS-485 surge suppression. The simplified design eliminates commissioning delays caused by extensive on-site configuration and the need for external power supplies for peripheral sensors, decreasing the number of man-hours spent in the field.

"As solar gains greater penetration in the commercial and utility sectors, ease of installation will become increasingly important to reducing soft costs, which is critical to accelerating widespread adoption," said Adrian De Luca, Locus Energy's vice president of commercial sales and marketing. "As a leader in solar monitoring with more than 30,000 systems in the field, Locus Energy is continually striving to reduce system complexity. The LGate 360 reflects the latest innovations in our ongoing efforts to make monitoring systems easier to install and maintain."  

Together with Locus Energy's web-based SolarOS^TM monitoring platform, the new LGate 360 enables owners and operators of solar PV plants to efficiently gather data for troubleshooting, asset optimization and performance guarantee/billing functions.  Additional features of the LGate 360 include:

• Underwriters Laboratories/Canadian Standards Association rating as an industrial control panel
• Industrial-grade datalogger with built-in support for communication with best-in- class peripheral devices and sensors
• Three-phase revenue-grade power meter
• Integrated circuit protection and power supply; all connected devices are line-powered, eliminating the need for external 120-volt power
• 24 VDC (volts direct current) terminal provides power for multiple peripheral devices
• Options for load metering and 3G cellular connectivity

The LGate 360 will be available in late Q1. Please visit www.locusenergy.com for more information.

About Locus Energy
Locus Energy is a solar monitoring and data analytics platform provider for the distributed PV market — spanning the residential, commercial and utility sectors. Locus Energy's cloud-based software aggregates and organizes large amounts of performance data from multiple sources, making it easier to access, manage and analyze, while its powerful PVIQ suite has the unique ability to identify the causes of a solar system's failure to meet performance expectations. By providing "actionable" operations and management data that optimizes performance yields, Locus Energy's PVIQ helps project stakeholders increase profitability, and also helps investors assess the value of solar PV assets. Founded in 2007, Locus Energy has offices in Hoboken, N.J., and San Francisco. For more information, please visit www.locusenergy.com.

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SOURCE Locus Energy