Metering Insights

The Impact of Renewable Energy on Utility Business Models

The energy sector is undergoing a transformation driven by renewable energy. For decades, utilities operated within a centralized framework, generating electricity at large plants and distributing it to consumers. The...

Understanding Metering Protocols
IEC 62056 and Beyond

Metering protocols are essential for communication between energy meters and external systems such as data collection platforms, utility management software, or grid operators. These protocols ensure devices from different manufacturers...

Energy Security
Preparing Power Grids for Future Challenges

Blackouts, whether sparked by surges in demand or disruptions in supply, aren't just abstract scenarios; they're events with serious economic and social consequences.

Power-to-X
A Hopeful Solution or a Costly Compromise?

The world is rapidly expanding renewable energy sources like solar and wind to slow down climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But the fact that these resources are unpredictable...

The Future of Prepaid Energy Meters in Emerging Markets

Utility companies in developing markets are increasingly installing prepaid energy meters as a solution to improve revenue collection, reduce financial losses, and expand energy access to underserved communities. Prepaid meters...

Energy Pricing
Understanding Utility Rate Design in a Changing Energy Landscape

The way that consumers pay for electricity is changing. Historically, regulated electric utilities charged customers a flat volumetric rate per kilowatt-hour (kWh) consumed. However, with the growth of renewable energy,...

Sustainable Practices in Energy Meter Manufacturing

Energy meters are essential devices for measuring and recording electrical energy consumption across residential, commercial, and industrial settings. At CLOU, we recognize the growing importance of sustainable manufacturing and are...

Power Quality
The Quiet Threat to Your Electrical Systems

It was a dark and stormy night - the kind where howling winds and lashing rain threaten electricity lines. Inside a dim factory, the drone of machinery seemed the only...

The Hidden Costs of Energy Loss
What Every Engineer Needs to Know

Energy loss is an integral part of any system that generates, transmits, or uses energy. However, this loss often goes unnoticed or is seen as simply the cost of doing...

Energy Storage Metering
Meeting the Challenge of Bi-directional Power Flow

The growing adoption of battery energy storage systems presents fresh challenges for metering professionals. As utilities and private operators integrate more storage solutions into their networks, the need for accurate...

Giving Thanks
Powering a Future That Never Sleeps

Thanksgiving is a time to pause, to breathe, to let the world slow down just enough to feel the rhythm of its gears grinding beneath the surface. But in the...

Why "More Data" Doesn't Always Mean Better Energy Management

Somewhere deep in the heart of a control room, screens glow with endless streams of numbers, charts, and blinking alerts. Data flows in torrents—kilowatts, voltage spikes, consumption peaks—flooding every corner...