User's Manual

86 Glossary
Networked Energy
Services (NES)
Echelon’s Networked Energy Services (NES) system is an open,
standards-based, adaptable infrastructure that enables a comprehensive
set of utility applications. The NES system provides a bi-directional
networked platform upon which many services — AMR, prepaid
metering, distribution management, outage detection, and more — can
be delivered.
Optical Port Infrared communication port per ANSI C12.18. Used by the
Provisioning Tool to talk to meters and Data Concentrators.
Phase Loss In an Echelon meter, a phase that is at or below 61% (by default) of the
rated voltage for a sustained duration of 10 seconds is considered a lost
phase. The percentage that constitutes a phase loss is now user-
configurable.
PLC Power line carrier. Echelon’s A–Band power line carrier technology that
provides a device communication network over the secondary side of the
power lines of a single or three-phase distribution transformer.
Power Factor The result of active power divided by apparent power. Power factor may
never exceed the range of –1 to 1.
Power Line Network The network of LONWORKS
®
power line devices associated with a given
Data Concentrator.
Program Set of meter or Data Concentrator operating parameters and values
(such as TOU tariffs, display settings, communication settings, or profile
log configuration) created using the Provisioning Tool.
Provisioning The act of configuring a device with specific operating parameters.
Provisioning is performed by using the Provisioning Tool to write
programs with preset values into devices. Operating parameter changes
are made via NES System Software, or by using the Provisioning Tool
maintenance or program edit functions.
Provisioning Key A string of up to 20 characters which grants access to an Echelon meter
or Data Concentrator for the initial provisioning operation. This key is
assigned to each meter and Data Concentrator at time of manufacture
and is usually the same for all devices sent to an individual utility.
When the first provisioning operation is successfully completed, this key
is usually deactivated and can no longer be used to access the device.
Once deactivated, the Unique Key must be used to log into the device
when using the Provisioning Tool.
Provisioning Tool Echelon software that is used to create provisioning programs and to
load provisioning information into meters or Data Concentrators. The
desktop or laptop computer running the Provisioning Tool communicates
with devices via an optical port connection.
PT The NES Provisioning Tool.
Reactive Energy /
Reactive Power
In an AC circuit whose impedance consists of reactance as well as
resistance, the voltage and current are not in phase. This creates excess
energy that is called reactive power, and represents energy alternately
stored and released by inductors and/or capacitors (reactive load). The
vector sum of the true and reactive power is known as apparent power.
Reactive power is measured in Volt-Amperes-Reactive, abbreviated var.