IoT based Smart Energy Monitoring and Switching System

This project is basically an energy meter but with a touch of new and innovative smart technology to assist the users. This smart energy meter displays all the useful information on an online dashboard named blynk, which is accessible through app also, by PCs, mobile phones or tablets. The main

Project Title

IoT based Smart Energy Monitoring and Switching System

Project Area of Specialization

Electrical/Electronic Engineering

Project Summary

Introduction :-

This project is basically an energy meter but with a touch of new and innovative smart technology to assist the users. This smart energy meter displays all the useful information on an online dashboard named blynk, which is accessible through app also, by PCs, mobile phones or tablets. The main processing unit is ESP32 board which processes all kind of information and takes necessary actions. This smart meter also have the capability to automatically send the consumed units data on monthly bases to power distribution companies for bill generation and mainly to eradicate corruption by skipping the middle man. The information that is shown on the online dashboard includes :

• Currently consumed units
• Live voltages (ZMPT101B sensor used)
• Live current (ACS712 sensor used)
• Apparent power
• Reactive power 
• Estimated bill based on every individuals usage

Security :-

Along with all these smart features, security is also a great plus point of this project. For security purposes we used a vibration sensor (801S) with ESP32 camera module. Whenever someone try to pry this smart energy meter, it will secretly capture the pictures of the intruder and send them to concerned authorities for further actions. 

Multiple Lines Catering :-

There are different areas in Pakistan, where more than one phase is available from Water And Power Development Authority (WAPDA) for connections, and people get those phases installed by using two different energy meters, which is a wastage of resources. So, to tackle this problem we implemented an automatic switching mechanism inside this smart energy meter, it can take two different input lines and can automatically switch between those line to ensure uninterrupted power supply.  

Project Objectives

Motivation :-

The real motivation behind this project was the realization of lack of knowledge and careless attitude towards this matter. One day I got the intuition to see the units consumed on electricity bill, which was placed on a table in front of me. Then I had to know the units consumed last month and so on, so this information was also provided on that bill, a history of previous year, month by month. But this suddenly clicked in my mind, and I went out to verify the readings on the bill, but I was only able to do so for the very last month and not beyond that. Also I was educated enough to read those messy numbers on the display of a conventional meter and extract my required data out of it, but everyone is not fortunate enough to do so. Now keeping this thought in our mind, me and my team decided to develop such a solution, that will vanish this problem once and for all. Our smart energy meter online dashboard is designed in such a way that even a layman can understand and work with it easily, with only very basic level of English language knowledge.

Objectives :

This smart energy meter is designed :

• To enable almost every single person to view their electricity usage statistics
• To eradicate corruption from the society, and cut down labour cost by automatic consumed units sending mechanism
• To help in decreasing the cases of meter theft
• To get an estimated bill, in-advance so that one can have a better idea about their monthly usage, and when to restrict their usage 

Project Implementation Method

This IoT based smart energy monitoring and switching system (SEMSS) is implemented in five major steps and those are :

1. Switching part
2. Measurements phase
3. Processing part
4. Security phase
5. Backing up data

In the first phase, switching part, a relay catering two input lines, is used with automatic shifting program coded inside the ESP32 board.

The second phase is of measurements, where voltage sensor (ZMPT101B) and current sensor (ACS712) are used to take the readings from incoming line and then pass on these values forward.

The third part is the processing phase, which is basically the heart of this project as it houses the ESP32 board. This phase is of prime importance and responsible for all the actions to be taken. The reason behind choosing ESP32 board and not arduino is its small size and almost same functionalities. 

The fourth phase is security one, which is second to ESP32 board in importance. This phase incapsulates a vibration sensor (801S) and an ESP32 camera module. Both of them work together to ensure a theft proof setup.

The fifth and last part is somewhat connected to all the previous phases. This part is designed to assigning the different actions that will be taken by ESP32 board based on the current activity, either that be switching between different lines, taking snapshots of intruders and sending them to concerned authorities, displaying data on blynk dashboard and last but not least storing all the data in backup memory location for later accessing or processing.  

Benefits of the Project

This IoT based Smart Energy Monitoring And Switching System has a lot of benefits which are listed below :

• First and foremost, corruption in this field will come to an end, as the correct meter readings will be automatically sent to power distribution companies
• Middle man cost will be cut down and that money could be used for infrastructure development
• Easy and reliable access to all the previous record and current units reading, will enable every citizen to keep a close eye on their profile and catch lackings of power companies such as over billing etc
• Resources wastage will be controlled by installing only one (this smart energy) meter to cater two different phase lines
• Even a layman would completely get aware of the consumption data and put a threshold for his/her usage
• Anybody having this smart energy meter installed, will be able to view all the related information with ease in their comfort zone, and no need to run for the hanging meter outside the gate
• This meter also have the advantage, that they can be installed on a central point in bulk, away from connected homes or places, and it will not affect the users at all, as their daily routine tasks will be executed easily, but it will ease government in taking actions on bulk meters at once.
• Last but not least, meter theft cases will also be reduced because of strict security system implemented, by using advanced tools

The list of benefits keeps going on.  

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

At the time of final deliverable of project, we shall assure you the four main things. The first one is the complete working design of the smart energy meter with its complete packaging in compact form which will be ready to install and can be tested whenever you want. The casing or the packaging of the smart energy meter is basically consisting of acrylic material which is designed by our project team by keeping an eye on present casings.

Secondly, we will also send you the PCB design of our smart energy meter which will be designed on Altium Designer software. The PCB design Gerber file will also send you, such that in future you can print your PCB for the project and if it replaces the current digital energy meters. The complete project circuit schematic will also send to you in addition to Gerber file, which can be used in case of improvement in project in future.

Third important thing is the mobile application and web dashboard for the monitoring of real time readings of smart energy meter by the customer. The customer can be monitored its consumed units on his/ her mobile application whenever he wants. The purpose of the web dashboard is that the electric utilities companies can monitor the readings of units on their big screen to generate the electricity bills instantly.

Fourth important thing which we will deliver you the complete program files of the smart energy meter such that you can access the complete implemented features of the smart energy meter and in future you can improve it or to add more features according to the future requirements. The program will be divided into two part. The energy monitoring system program will be implemented separately and the security features of the energy meter will be implemented separately.

Last important thing is the complete report of the project which will be delivered you as a complete manual of the smart energy meter. This report will assure you our dedication, hard work and the problems we faced during the development of this project. Also the new methods we developed during this project to replace the old convention to make the energy meter better than existing solutions and models.

Final Deliverable of the Project

Hardware System

Core Industry

Energy

Other Industries

Manufacturing

Core Technology

Internet of Things (IoT)

Other Technologies

Cloud Infrastructure

Sustainable Development Goals

Decent Work and Economic Growth, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, Reduced Inequality, Responsible Consumption and Production, Partnerships to achieve the Goal

Required Resources

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