Developing a Smart Energy Meter for Distant Monitoring with Smart Control to Prevent Energy Thefts and Support Wise Load Management

The project will be looking for the implementation of smart energy meter that will perform various tasks. There is no such scheme present in energy meter to date that could support distant monitoring and data exchange of different parameters such as voltage, current, active and reactive power betwee

Project Title

Developing a Smart Energy Meter for Distant Monitoring with Smart Control to Prevent Energy Thefts and Support Wise Load Management

Project Area of Specialization

Electrical/Electronic Engineering

Project Summary

The project will be looking for the implementation of smart energy meter that will perform various tasks. There is no such scheme present in energy meter to date that could support distant monitoring and data exchange of different parameters such as voltage, current, active and reactive power between stakeholders at any level. In addition, the energy thefts, distant control and lack of proper security systems are big challenges faced by the Water and Power Development Authority in Pakistan. Our project will be developing a meter that will be monitored and controlled distantly by users as well as energy providers to be operated through a prepaid billing system. Switching of loads in peak hours, emergency calling and theft detection are also some prominent features of this project. In future smart grids and microgrids are expected to replace the conventional ones. As a result, smart multitasking meters will be in high demand. Therefore, we aim to develop an optimal solution for all the present problems to make sure that energy meters are reliable, secure and efficient to provide feasible access to both stakeholders.

It will prove to be the best fit for Pakistan's scenario and other countries where manual meter reading is currently in practice. We met various Government officials of Water and Power Development Authority, Pakistan to have some idea of ground realities and re-organized our idea accordingly. In the nutshell, our proposed idea has the capacity to become a revolutionary one for not just only Pakistan's perspective but for the International market too.

Project Objectives

Our main objective is to develop a multitasking smart energy meter that can be an optimal solution for various existing problems faced by Electricity providers and end-users. Here are some prominent objectives of this project

1. Monitoring and storing the reactive as well as an active power that can be accessed by users and providers.
2. A Secure Prepaid billing system
3. Preventing electricity thefts.
4. If the power goes off, low to high load switching feature will be enabled upon its return. Loads are assigned priority wise time delay to get on, hence avoiding sudden pressure on the power system.
5. Automatic Emergency calling service will be activated when any area/home experiences a power outage.
6.  Monitoring peak hours’ time to generate an alarm or shut down high power rating loads for smart load management. This peak hour time will have high unit rates than the normal.
7. Distance monitoring and controlling various loads attached to the meter. Users may monitor on/off state of all loads and can control them accordingly. Electricity providers will have the ability to cut off the meter.

Project Implementation Method

The project will be a capable monitoring system that will provide two-way communication as well as internet accessibility (Internet of things capable). The proposed system will also provide the capability to disconnect the electricity supply by the supplier (in case of defaulting bill) and the consumer (in that case when you are going away for long time periods). The consumer’s consumption and billing data will be saved on the website and the application where it can be viewed remotely by either party. The project will also have a credit system in order to operate like a prepaid system, cutting down on energy loss as well as wastage. The CTs in the energy meter will continuously monitor the current and by comparing both of them any illegal misuse or theft system will be prevented.

The load will be automatically switched off at peak hours as a certain amount of energy will be provided to be used in peak hours due to load shedding issues and to cater to it. Whenever the electricity cuts off and switches On again, then the load will turn On in ascending order from low to high load to reduce the maximum jerk on the system. The best thing about the project is the automatic SMS generation to mobiles and laptops at any alarming or troubling situation. For instance, even if the transformer shuts off, cutting off the supply then an SMS and buzzer/reminder will be generated to WAPDA.

Benefits of the Project

Here are some fringe benefits of the proposed Smart Energy Meter:

1. Reactive power monitoring will enable us to charge the users more who are using more reactive power and benefit those who have low reactive power consumption. Hence instead of dividing the reactive power penalty to the whole area, the billing department will collect it from concerned people only.
2. The prepaid billing system will enable the user to charge the meter before using units. Users may also pay the bill through the card after the consumption of units up to a one-month period. Therefore, manual meter reading and errors may be eliminated.
3. Prevention of Electricity thefts will reduce the additional stress upon the system, lessen the losses and increase the overall revenue.
4. When the power goes off, it gives an extra jerk to the power system upon its return. Load switching will reduce the initial sudden burden that has to be faced by the power system. The life of the associated equipment will increase.
5. Emergency calling updates energy providers that the power outage has occurred in a certain area or specific home. This will be done through automatic message sending.
6. Load management during peak load hours is extremely necessary to avoid any inconvenience and ensuring the continuity of electricity. Users are informed through an alarm system and switching off the assigned loads with high power ratings. If users want to still use them, they can but the monitoring system will make sure to record it separately to charge a high unit price in peak hours. 

This project will benefit the stakeholders involved at any level. The proposed smart energy meter will enable electricity providers to manage the demand response reliably and efficiently. Whereas users will be benefited directly to have a secure and more informed system that will enable them to manage the home appliances accordingly. Furthermore, this project is expecting to grab the attention of investors as in Pakistan’s market it is inevitable to develop an IoT based smart meter that must be reliable, efficient, secure and stable.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

• Two-way communication capability using IoT.
• The consumer’s consumption and billing data can be viewed remotely by either party using the application
• The project will also have a credit system in order to operate like a prepaid system.
• Monitoring of power thefts using CTs comparison
• The load will be automatically switched off at peak hours using the real time clock and microcontroller.
• Automatic SMS sending at any alarming or troubling situation to supplier/consumer using GSM.
• Low to high load switching to reduce the maximum jerk on the system using multi-channel relays.
• Emergency alert using GSM and PT when the transformer shuts off.

Final Deliverable of the Project

Hardware System

Core Industry

Energy

Other Industries

IT , Security

Core Technology

Artificial Intelligence(AI)

Other Technologies

Internet of Things (IoT), Clean Tech

Sustainable Development Goals

Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, Sustainable Cities and Communities

Required Resources

If you need this project, please contact me on contact@adikhanofficial.com