IoT Based Power Monitoring System for Smart Grid Applications

Fahad Khan1,*, Muhammad Abu Bakar Siddiqui2, Ateeq Ur Rehman2,3, Jawad Khan4, Muhammad Tariq Sadiq5,
Adeel Asad2
1
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus,
Pakistan.
2
Department of Electrical Engineering, GC University Lahore, Pakistan
3
College of Internet of Things Engineering, Hohai University, Changzhou 213022, China
4
Department of Computer Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus, Pakistan
5
Department of Electrical Engineering, The University of Lahore, Pakistan

*Corresponding Author: [email protected]

Abstract—Internet of Things (IoT) is widely used Smart homes are developed by the integration of
in smart energy monitoring, industrial automation, smart electric meters and IoT [5]-[6]. For deployment
and a variety of applications. At various stages of in smart cities, an IoT assisted real-time Zigbee mesh
Smart Grid (SG), IoT devices are deployed to WSN based Automatic Meter Reading (AMR)
monitor and control grid statistics for reliable and system is implemented in [7]. The proposed system
efficient delivery of power. Although IoT integration provides a reduction in peak loads with improved
in the SG domain provides manifold benefits, the Demand Side Management (DSM) [5]. Sensors,
challenges in IoT-SG integration needs to be solved communication [25]-[26], and control mechanisms
for the efficient operation of the grid. In this paper, will play a vital role in achieving reliable and secure
firstly an overview of SG and IoT based SG system is power grids. A survey on potential communication
provided. This project describes the IoT based power technologies for the connectivity of devices in the SG
monitoring system that is capable to measure and is presented in [8].
analyze the electrical parameters such as voltage,
current, active power, and energy consumption of Motivated by the above progress in IoT and their
loads. IoT based software application ‘ThingSpeak’ deployment in power grids, we have proposed an IoT
is used to obtain the real-time electrical data of assisted power monitoring system for SG. It provides
consumers. Based on this data, the consumer and benefits to both consumers and utility companies to
electric power companies in the SG paradigm can analyze and manage their resources. This paper
better manage their consumption to reduce billing provides an implementation of IoT based power
monitoring using ThingSpeak software where the
costs.
consumer can get the electrical parameters of the load
Keywords-Smart homes, Power monitoring, IoT aided data. A literature review is provided that highlights
SG, ThingSpeak. existing research in the area of SG, IoT, and IoT
aided SGs.
I. INTRODUCTION
In this paper, our contributions include the
In the future generation of power grids sensors, following:
actuators, and transducers are expected to play a
crucial role in providing real-time energy monitoring x The implementation of IoT assisted power
services [1]. IoT [27] has become an enabling monitoring system is provided with the
technology to provide novel solutions to the integration of an open-source ThingSpeak IoT
challenges in the power grid system. IoT enabled platform, which provides to analyze load
sensors are used pervasively in the power grid system information of consumers.
to share their useful information through internet and x The hardware design enables to access of
web applications, enabling improved grid electrical parameters of loads including current,
management [2]. voltage, active power, and energy of connected
loads.
The integration of Information and The rest of the paper is organized as follows.
Communication Technologies (ICTs) and IoT in SG Section II provides a literature review and system
ensure reliability, cost-effectiveness, and intelligent implementation is discussed in Section III. Section
features with minimal human intervention. Two-way IV provides a hardware prototype and results
communication is the key requirement in the followed by conclusions in Section V.
paradigm of IoT among smart devices and
components [3]-[4].

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 Fig. 1: An overview of SG architecture [10].

II. LITERATURE REVIEW not cover other key features of IoT aided SGs such as
The traditional power system is being architectures and applications. In the domain of smart
transformed into an intelligent, secure, efficient, and cities, IoT plays a dominant role and sensors will
reliable SG [9]. There are different information flow enable the management and control of the cities [18].
networks in the SG domain; Home Area Network Smart metering deployment in the power system
(HAN), Neighborhood Area Network (NAN) and a involves various challenges. The benefits and
Wide Area Network (WAN). SG modernizes the challenges due to the deployment of smart meters are
generation, distribution, and consumption sections of presented in [19]. An overview of SG technologies
the power system with power and information flows. such as IoT, smart metering, and Energy
An overview of SG architecture is provided in Fig. 1, Management System (EMS) is provided in [20].
which presents the main subsystems and networks in
SG [10]. The monitoring, control, and analyzing the data
are the primary tasks in the SG. Billions of
SG provides various features such as advanced monitoring devices are installed at power generation
metering infrastructure (AMI), load balancing, and plants, distributions centers, transmission towers, and
fault detection and control [11]-[12]. One of the key consumer premises [21]. At the distribution level of
concerns in SG is the connectivity of devices that the SG, monitoring of electrical parameters like
needs monitoring and analysis. IoT is a technology voltage, current, active power, power factor, etc has a
that provides this automation in the SG paradigm. crucial role in improving grid efficiency. Moreover,
The integration of IoT devices in SG (such as sensors reliable communication infrastructure is required to
and smart meters), various functions related to send received information to the consumer gadget or
connectivity and automation aspects can be utility company. A WSN based power monitoring for
effectively provided throughout the power system a single-phase electric system is developed in [22].
[13]. The authors have used power sensing and
SG devoid of the IoT technology is not possible. communication modules to send load consumption
There are different forums addressing the SG and IoT data at periodic intervals to the utility. Furthermore, a
integration including special issues on Smart Grid power theft algorithm is proposed that can help utility
Internet of Things [14]. Several attempts have been companies to detect power theft. However, the
done to cover the IoT aided SGs. A general vision of developed system is costly and not suitable for
SG is provided in [15]. A vision of SG in the implementation on a large scale [22].
paradigm of IoT is presented by Al-Ali and There are different types of devices that are used
Aburukba [16] with a focus on the SG in the SG system for monitoring, analysis, and
communication layer. In [17], the authors provided a control purposes. The next section provides an
detailed survey on AMI and smart metering to implementation of IoT assisted monitoring setup that
address the problems of power quality and reliability can be used in SG.
in the conventional grid. However, the authors did

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 WAPDA

LCD

Relay Current Load

Wi-Fi Arduino UNO Module Sensor Appliances
Module

Volatge
Sensor
Web Server

Remote
Monitoring
Centre
(Laptop)
Fig. 2: Block diagram of an IoT based power monitoring system.

III. SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION IV. HARDWARE PROTOTYPE AND RESULTS

A. System Overview The hardware design of IoT based power
The proposed system consists of monitoring, monitoring system is shown in Fig. 3. The loads are
communication and analysis units. The monitoring connected to this hardware setup to evaluate its
setup comprises of ACS712 current sensors and performance. For local display, LCD is used to show
voltage sensing circuit connected to consumer loads. the real-time results of the load, and the WiFi module
The communication unit consists of Arduino and communicates load data to ThingSpeak application.
WiFi module. The analysis unit is a remote
application on consumer mobile that can be access to
obtain voltage and currents, load profiles, energy
consumption, etc.
B. System Design

The block diagram of an IoT based power

monitoring system is shown in Fig. 2. WiFi based
node is deployed that consists of a consumer’s load,
voltage and current sensors, Arduino UNO, and a
WiFi (ESP-8266) communication module. The
Arduino is interfaced with sensors to gather load data
and saves it in internal memory [24]. WiFi fetches
load data from Arduino through a UART interface
and communicates the load data with the server.
WiFimodulates acts as a gateway between the
monitoring side and the webserver.
C. Software Application Fig. 3: Hardware prototype of IoT based power monitoring system.

ThingSpeak is an open-source IoT platform is The hardware is tested using different loads for
used to store, analyze, and retrieve data from loads current, voltage, power, and energy. LCD provides a
[23]. The stored information enables utility local display and WiFi sends real-time data to the
companies and consumers to observe load data on ThingSpeak for storage. After a simulating program,
gadgets and computers. The stored information gives our device receives data from the cloud through
load patterns, provides dynamic billing and helps to MQTT. MQTT is a protocol for collecting device
better adjust demand and supply of electricity data and communicates that data to the server. The
between generation and consumption. device is controlled through ThingSpeak.

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 Fig. 4: Electrical measurements (voltage, current, power, and energy consumption) of load.

Fig. 5: Load status at different periods.

The electrical measurements (voltage, current, devices that can be easily integrated into the
power, and energy consumption) of the load is consumer premises. In the future, authors are
depicted in Fig. 4. It shows electrical parameter interested to develop a cloud-based smart metering
information at different instants. The consumer can system for the deployment in smart cities.
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