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Underground power transmission

We know what’s on the line—because when underground cables overheat, it’s not just equipment at risk—it’s the reliability of your entire system. Cable overheating doesn’t just shorten lifespan—it puts critical infrastructure in jeopardy. That's why you need accurate, consistent measurement of thermal resistivity in the soils surrounding your lines. With decades of expertise in thermal properties, METER helps you safeguard underground transmission infrastructure—whether you’re measuring in your own lab or relying on ours. Our proven instrumentation and expert support give you the confidence to design, model, and build with precision—protecting the reliability of your system.

Thermal resistivity/Rho

Underground cables generate heat—and if the surrounding soil can’t dissipate it, you risk insulation failure, performance loss, and system-wide outages. METER provides consistent, research-grade thermal resistivity (ρ) measurements that help you accurately assess soil behavior before installation. Whether you're validating backfill or selecting the safest path forward, you’ll have the data to design with confidence—and protect your system for the long haul.

Hydraulic properties

While thermal properties tell you how well soil can dissipate heat, hydraulic properties reveal how fast that soil will dry out—and how water moves away from your cables. METER’s research-grade tools help you measure unsaturated flow, permeability, and water retention—so you can understand how quickly moisture will be pulled from the cable bedding and whether your system is protected for the long term. Design smarter, prevent dry-out, and keep your cables running cool and safe.

Laboratory services

Prove your design before it's in the ground. When cable safety depends on how your bedding materials perform under load, you can’t afford uncertainty. Thermal failure isn’t just a risk—it’s a liability. With decades of expertise in heat and mass transfer, METER’s lab delivers material-specific thermal resistivity testing that’s both precise and practical. We provide ASTM D5334- and IEEE 442-compliant reports, so you can move forward with data that meets spec—and design decisions backed by science.

ZL6 Data Logger next to a tablet and several screenshots. the tablet and screenshots show data visualizations from ZENTRA Cloud software

ZENTRA System

Customize your data collection and logging solution by combining multiple METER sensors with the ZL6 Data Logger and ZENTRA Cloud. ZENTRA stores your data in the cloud, allowing easy access to your data and near-real-time reports from all of your data loggers.

Avoid costly field visits by accessing your data from any web-connected device. Analyze it with ZENTRA Cloud’s built-in visualization tools, and easily share insights without tracking down log files on individual computers.

Learn more about ZENTRA

LABROS System

Streamline your laboratory analyses and reduce human error using the innovative LABROS soil science laboratory collection. Perform automated particle size analysis, generate soil moisture release curves, or measure thermal and hydraulic conductivity with METER laboratory instruments designed to produce accurate analyses in a fraction of the time of other methods.

Even better, LABROS instruments can be combined to perform all of these analyses from a single sample, saving time and reducing measurement errors due to variations in sample characteristics.

See LABROS products

LABROS-capable laboratory instruments from METER, including WP4C, KSAT, VARIOS, and PARIO

Christoff Client Quote Graphic
"At the beginning of the project, we had a second contractor...we had some measurements to compare, but there were some issues with the quality of the data we got from the other lab. So as the project progress, we only worked with METER Group."
Geotechnical Engineering and Hydrology Coordinator Christoph Verschaffel-Drefke | TransnetBW

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See how scientists, growers, and engineers have used METER solutions in the field.
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Making renewable energy possible in Germany

Thermal properties of stony soils: How to get the right answer in a soil/rock mix

Thermal properties of stony soils: How to get the right answer in a soil/rock mix

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Episode 44: How soil thermal and moisture data drive renewable energy in Germany

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