Prepaid Smart Energy meter with dynamic tariff

A smart energy meter aiming to replace the conventional energy monitoring device by providing both the user and the supplier with various functionalities such as over the internet data monitoring and providing full control and access to their energy usage with a tap using the specially

Project Title

Prepaid Smart Energy meter with dynamic tariff

Project Area of Specialization

Electrical/Electronic Engineering

Project Summary

A smart energy meter aiming to replace the conventional energy monitoring device by providing both the user and the

supplier with various functionalities such as over the internet data monitoring and providing full control and access to

their energy usage with a tap using the specially designed website and web based mobile application . The project is

designed to deliver features such as pre-paid functionality to allow the user to have greater control over their energy bills

as well calculating the said bill dynamically depending on the source of power. 

Project Objectives

• Prepaid Facility
• Real-time energy usage monitoring
• Website development
• Generating and displaying energy usage reports on website for respective users.
• Dynamic tariff simulation implimentation using Python

Project Implementation Method

• Power analyzer is implemented by stepping  down the voltage from the source and using voltage transformers and by implementing voltage divider ciruits as well as hall senseros, The current and voltage is reading are monitored fed to the microcontroller which in this case is MyRIO  and the power usage is calculated using LabView. 
• Website: Website is developed using Django for backend and HTML+CSS and Bootsrap for the front end development. After calculations the data will be sent to the website and the user and admin; being the energy supplier company can log in to their account to see their usage report and monitor all the clients respectively. 
• For the prepaid hardware part, we used a microcontroller that is connected with a GSM module that takes number of units as input from the to user to recharge their account and it sends status to the consumer. The energy usage paramaters such as voltage, current, power, energy, and units consumed are displayed on the LCD which is also connect woth the microcontroller to be sent to the users mobile via SMS. 
• Dymanic Tariff: A simulation based on hypothetical scenario, which mainly relates to our real life tariff implementation, is developed in which it is decided from which source a consumer would consume energy. It is decided on the basis of energy production souce such as solar, wind or nuclear energy, and their tariff rates at different loading conditions and at different times of the day. In this way, the most cost efficient power source supplies power at all the times.

Benefits of the Project

With the rising usage of various gadgets in recent years, the demand for electricity in houses has grown. Many emerging countries are concerned about the requirement for immediate increases in power. Consumers must keep track of their daily power use in their homes. Our project focuses on a Pre-paid Smart Metering System with Dynamic Tariff for smart and efficient distribution of power to users. The biggest disadvantage of previously utilized traditional meters is that they do not offer information to consumers, which is provided by Smart Meters.

A smart meter allows consumers to get information about the power usage of different devices in their homes. Because power consumption is rising on a daily basis, there should be a greater emphasis on understanding consumption patterns, which necessitates the monitoring and analysis of use across time. The idea behind our project was driven by a desire to reduce energy consumption by better understanding customer behavior and its relationship to electricity prices.

Moreover, the installation of a Pre-paid Smart Energy Meter with GSM technology allows customers to pay for energy before it is used. When the client's credit in their account falls below a certain level, a strategy is devised to close the client using the GSM correspondence module. The measurements are continuously recorded since the structure is based on a microcontroller. This reduces human labour while increasing the feasibility of bill computation for utilized energy. Furthermore, GSM allows for wireless transmission of data that is fast and safe.

The dynamic tariff system enables consumers to use electricity units that are cheaper. For instance, between the time slot of 1pm to 2pm, users will be able to consume electricity from either the electricity provider company or from the solar system installed in their homes, which ever source is cheaper. Thus, our project provides alternative source options to consumers as well as reduces their bills.

The data of consumers including voltage, current values and their total bill is displayed on a website with a very simple interface. Each user has his/her own account that displays their data. New customers can signup via the website in order to obtain our Smart meter services.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

The final deliverable will aim to produce 3 main modules. The first of which will be the basic and the most neccassry three phase power analyser. The three phase power analyser will be used to acquire data by using VTs and CTs as well as various sensors and electronic configurations of resistors, capacitors and ICs to control and vary the input to our desired levels after which the raw data will be fed to the microcontroller, MyRio which will be configured wirelessly to Labview.

After the data is passed onto the software, steps will be done with the help of blocks which will enable us to recalculate the original signal which was processed by the hardware to replicate the original. The now original signal data will be further sent to our personally designed database which will keep track of all the data. The database and website will be set up using Django.

The third and final part of out project will the pre-paid module which, like the three phase power analyser will be fed the raw input and with the help of another microcontroller, Arduino, will gather the data. To feed the signal to the microcontroller, we will be using VTs and CTs as well as basic electronic configurations to decrease the signal as well as convert it into a DC pulse such that our microcontroller can analyse it. With the help of a GSM module, we will also be providing a user-hardware communication channel such that the user can give commands to the microcontroller to control the system as per requirement. 

The three described modules will be integrated such that they can work in parallel to provide the final deliverable which will take the form of a smart energy meter.

Final Deliverable of the Project

HW/SW integrated system

Core Industry

Energy

Other Industries

Core Technology

Shared Economy

Other Technologies

Sustainable Development Goals

Affordable and Clean Energy, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Responsible Consumption and Production

Required Resources

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