Power Quality: A Growing Challenge for Today’s Grid

Modern life depends on a steady supply of high-quality power. But maintaining that standard is becoming more difficult. Utility engineers today face unprecedented challenges due to:

  • An aging electric infrastructure
  • The growing use of sensitive electronic devices
  • A surge in distributed energy resources (DERs) like solar and battery storage
  • The widespread adoption of electric vehicles

Each of these developments introduces new complexities to the power grid—especially when it comes to power quality.

Why Power Quality Problems Matter

As more electronics connect to the grid, they both depend on and disrupt power quality. Sensitive devices are easily affected by voltage sags, harmonics, flicker, and transients—but they can also create these very issues for others on the network.

Poor power quality leads to:

  • Equipment malfunctions or failures
  • Costly downtime for industrial and commercial customers
  • Reliability issues that impact customer satisfaction
  • Increased pressure from regulators and public service commissions

For critical systems—like medical devices, data centers, and manufacturing machinery—even a momentary disturbance can have major consequences.

That’s Where We Come In

At Power Monitors, Inc. (PMI), we equip utilities with the tools and expertise they need to tackle these growing power-quality challenges—quickly, accurately, and confidently.

Our advanced power-quality monitoring solutions provide:

  • High-resolution data (256 samples per cycle) that captures subtle disturbances
  • Real-time visibility across your distribution network
  • Portable diagnostic tools to support fast field response
  • Cloud-based software for secure data sharing and in-depth analysis
With PMI, utilities can:
✅ Detect voltage sags, swells, harmonics, and flicker before they cause disruption
✅ Monitor DER and EV impacts—including bidirectional flows
✅ Comply with evolving standards like IEEE 1547 and IEEE 2800
✅ Respond to customer complaints with data-backed confidence

PMI Ecosystem

Seeker portable PQ analyzer

Seeker

Compact, weather-proof recorder with wireless comms & optional GPS—ideal for investigative work and smart-grid monitoring.

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Bolt three-phase PQ recorder

Bolt

Meter-base recorder that pinpoints PQ root causes & verifies compliance—even in tight enclosures.

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Revolution high-speed PQ recorder

Revolution

Rugged, high-speed recorder with Bluetooth®/cellular retrieval—captures sub-cycle transients & high-order harmonics.

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