Meters provide data that offers insight into the operation of the data center infrastructure (i.e. power and cooling systems) within a data center. The paper notes that there are several different types of meters that can be designed into a data center, ranging from high precision power quality meters to embedded meters, such as those found in a UPS or PDU system. Each type has different core functions and applications.
Specific types of meters exist for various reasons, from tracking the use of electricity to analyzing the power quality in a facility and reporting problems such as transients and harmonics to measuring the power usage effectiveness (PUE) of the data center. Example data centers are presented in the paper's analysis to illustrate where various meters are likely to be deployed.
