loadmonitoring

Load monitoring is the process of measuring, collecting, and analyzing the magnitude and distribution of electrical, mechanical, or computational demand on a system. It provides visibility into how loads change over time and under different conditions to support reliability, efficiency, and informed decision making.

In electrical power systems, load monitoring tracks real power, reactive power, voltage, frequency, and power factor across networks and at customer points. Metering infrastructure, supervisory control and data acquisition systems, and sensors gather data for real-time operation, load forecasting, and planning. The information supports balancing generation and demand, asset management, and demand-response actions such as pre-cooling, price signals, or controlled shedding of non-critical loads during stress.

In data centers and IT environments, load monitoring focuses on server and application load, typically expressed as CPU and memory utilization, I/O throughput, and latency. Collected metrics feed capacity planning, auto-scaling, and anomaly detection to maintain service levels and control energy use.

In mechanical and civil applications, load monitoring measures forces, torques, pressures, or structural loads on equipment or structures. Sensors such as strain gauges, load cells, and accelerometers support predictive maintenance, fault detection, and safety assurance.

Common methods include continuous data collection, time-series analysis, dashboards, alerts, and forecasting using statistical methods or machine learning. Integrations with control systems allow automated responses and optimization of operation, energy use, and maintenance schedules.

Challenges include data quality and interoperability, sensor placement, latency, privacy and cybersecurity concerns, and the cost of sensors and software. Standards and best practices govern metering, data exchange, and protection of sensitive information. See also: demand response, smart metering, SCADA, DCIM, power quality.