Smart Metering using POWER LINE COMMUNICATION

Electricity is an essential asset of our daily life. Its proper utilization and consumption is necessary in day to day life. We can properly consume the electricity as well as calculate the electricity consumption. In most of the places, particularly in areas where conventional method of electricity

Project Title

Smart Metering using POWER LINE COMMUNICATION

Project Area of Specialization

Electrical/Electronic Engineering

Project Summary

Electricity is an essential asset of our daily life. Its proper utilization and consumption is necessary in day to day life. We can properly consume the electricity as well as calculate the electricity consumption. In most of the places, particularly in areas where conventional method of electricity billing is carried out. This  system is lengthy and erroneous. The employees working at electric board office have to go door to door to collect the reading of meter each month. This system has some disadvantages like erroneous readings, non-easy manipulation, requirement of labors and time consumption. In every aspect of life automation is needed to reduce the work. Smart metering using Power Line Communication technology eliminates the need of employing Electricity Board meter readers to collect the reading each month and these set of employees can be used elsewhere. The proposed system of smart metering collects the consumption and status of data from the energy meter and transfer the data (the reading of energy meter) to the Electricity Board Office by using existing Power lines. System for communication over power lines are referred to as PLC(Power line Communication). PLC do not require any specific cabling because terminal equipment is connected directly to the power network. Power line Networking is especially useful when wireless access points cannot be used or cannot reach at all. The concept of “no new wires” means the ability to connect a device to the network wherever there is an electrical outlet. This saves the cost of installing extra cables for transmitting data without any additional cost to electric bills.  Using the same wiring that delivers electricity, powerline networking sends information by sending data on certain frequencies. Our proposed project will demonstrate the idea and implementation of transmitting data simultaneously with electricity using the existing power lines as the medium of communication.

Project Objectives

Our major objective of the proposed project “Smart Metering Using POWER LINE COMMUNICATION technology” is to demonstrate that both data and electricity can be transmitted simultaneously using the existing cable wirings in our house or high extension lines from PMT(Pole Mounted Transformer) to our homes and from our homes to the main Electric Board Office without any need of installing extra cables or using any other specific wired or wireless device for this purpose.

Our main focus during the project implementation will be based on transmitting data using any appropriate PLC modem from consumer’s end to the main data and status acquisition and monitoring office.

Our design would be based on one consumer’s section utilization of electricity and its corresponding readings of electricity consumption shown on meter placed outside the consumer’s home, that reading will be transmitted using PLC modem from this section to entirely other section that is the vendor’s section or electricity board .The consumer section here will be acting as transmitter for sending data and electric Board office will be acting as receiver having a wired connection between both of them based on PLC.

The integration of the telecommunication transport media in the core of the electricity asset make PLC a very attractive option both in terms of availability and cost.    

Project Implementation Method

The designing of the proposed project is based on transmitting data from one end to other using power line as a communication media between the two. This task is achieved by making a consumer section which will be consuming electricity whose proper monitoring and collection of the data is required at the other end that is at the main electric board office. The status of the energy consumption of the customer is shown on energy meter which is then transported to the Arduino. After the collection of the data in Arduino, the Arduino is then interfaced to the Power Line Modem, this modem will then modulate the data and send it over to the electric power lines. The data transmitted over the power lines is then received at the other end using another power line modem. The data which is then received on PLC at the other end is then transported back to Arduino which has been interfaced with it. The data collected on serial port of Arduino is then accumulated on any software tool like EXCEL for usage in further processing and making of electric bills at main Electric Board Office. In this way ,data is transmitted from consumer’s end to the vendor’s end using already existing power lines without any use of extra cablings for this purpose as well as also eliminating the need of  human labor involved in it and eliminating the chances of getting erroneous data thus providing the real time monitoring about the current status of electricity consumption.  

BASIC IDEA OF PROJECT IMPLENTATION:   

Benefits of the Project

Our proposed project offers followig benefits:

• This system will save the cost spend on hiring employees for the task of meter readings each month. These set of employees as well as amount spent on their salaries can be utilized elsewhere.
• The proposed system will also eliminate the chances of getting erroneous data or reading taken manually as it will automatically collects the reading and sends it to the board office.
• No extra cabling or wiring is required for sending of data as this system uses the same existing electrical wirings for this purpose, hence PLC proves to be an economical solution for the use of transporting data.
•  Time is a precious thing and it can be saved by the implementation of this system as it gives real time monitoring at the remotely located collection and monitoring office.
• Powerline networking is especially useful when wireless access points cannot be used or cannot reach all devices (especially in case of in-home communication). It is an alternative when data network cables or wireless communication are not a viable option.
• This project addresses various sustainable development goals designed by UN in the following ways:

SDG-7: Affordable and clean energy:

"Power line communication based smart metering", uses the electricity infrastructure for data transmission which is used in smart grid too including the integration of intermittent renewable energy sources into the electricity supply chain, securing reliable electricity delivery, and using the existing electrical infrastructure more efficiently.

SDG-9: Industry Innovation and infrastructure:

“No new wires” concept leads to the creation of innovative infrastructure leading to the fact of utilizing already installed powerlines as a medium of transportation of data.

SDG-11: Sustainable cities and communities:

This SDG is addressed by our project in a way that it removes the need of installing extra cabling for transportation of data and already the existing powerlines can be used thus making it an affordable means for transportation of data and improves urban planning and management .PLC are really well suited for quick and inexpensive pervasive deployment

SDG-12:  Responsible consumption and production:

It provides real time monitoring capability of the electricity consumption and also provide the capability to detect the theft.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

At final stage of project, it should be able to perform these technical tasks:

• Consumer’s section should be properly designed with all loads connected as well as energy meter should be installed to track the exact amount of electricity usage of the customer.
• The energy meter data should then be collected in Arduino.
• The collected data should then be transmitted from the consumer’s end to electric Board office using existing Power lines or high extension cabling already installed, this is achieved by using a suitable power line communication modem which will modulate the data and send it over the power lines.
• The transmitted data from consumer’s side using power line as a medium of transportation is received similarly in the same fashion by using another power line modem acting as a receiver for the data already present on the power lines.
• The received data will then be accumulated with the help of micro-controller(Arduino) to any data acquisition tool and then be used for further processing.
• At the end ,our basic purpose of implementing the proposed project will be based on the fact that to demonstrate both data and electricity  can be transmitted using the same electric wirings without any need of installing extra cablings for this purpose.

Final Deliverable of the Project

HW/SW integrated system

Core Industry

Energy

Other Industries

Core Technology

Internet of Things (IoT)

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