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October 2014 • The PCB Magazine 55 The Challenge AC power management involves three ba- sic functions: current sensing/ measurement, phase detection/synchronisation, and switch- ing. While load sensing has been an electrome- chanical process for decades in the form of the trusty electric meters found in every older instal- lation, the need for communications as well as demand-side load control represents a new chal- lenge. Current designs have basically retained the heavy shunt/sensor hardware while adding communications and control logic (Figure 3). THE SMART GRID OPPORTUNITY continues figure 2: rtu worldwide build-out in millions of units. (source: bPa Consulting, telefonica) figure 3: first generation smart meter. (source: bPa composite, ifixit)