Timekeeping Issues in Ultra-Quality Metering Systems

The improvements made to smart metering systems in terms of performance and accuracy have in many cases created a gap in the requirements for timekeeping performance. When clock errors accumulate in different metrology systems, data collected from one system cannot be compared to data collected from another system. This paper recommends the use of a common timebase for all data gathering systems, and that systems clocks are corrected with numerous minor corrections when possible rather than major corrections.