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Arab J Sci EngDOI 10.1007/s13369-012-0432-x
RESEARCH ARTICLE - SYSTEMS ENGINEERING
Remote Energy Monitoring, Profiling and Control Through
GSMNetwork
Adnan Rashdi Rafia Malik Sanam Rashid Anam Ajmal Sulaiman
Sadiq
Received: 24 November 2011 / Accepted: 14 March 2012 King Fahd
University of Petroleum and Minerals 2012
Abstract This paper presents design and development ofa global
system for mobile communications (GSM)-basedenergy monitoring,
profiling and control system. The pro-posed system integrates
consumers digital energy meter withenergy monitoring system which
is controlled by electricsupply company. Single phase or three
phase digital elec-tric meters can be used with indigenously
developed addon module, which acquires energy usage data at
consumerpremises and after necessary processing transmits it to
theelectric supply company using short message service (SMS)and
global packet radio service (GPRS) through GSM net-work. At the
electric supplier end, an energy monitoringsystem manages all
received meter readings, computes thebilling cost, updates the
database and maintains an energyconsumption profile for each
consumer. System controls alloperations at the electric supply
company headquarters andgenerates various warning alerts on
occurrence of faults inthe system. A working prototype of complete
system hasbeen developed using digital energy meter manufactured
byMicroTech Industries, Pakistan, to demonstrate an efficientand
transparent means of automatic meter reading, billingand
notification using existing wide spread GSM network.
A. Rashdi (B) R. Malik S. Rashid A. Ajmal S. SadiqDepartment of
Electrical Engineering, Military College of Signals,National
University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistane-mail:
[email protected]
R. Malike-mail: [email protected]
S. Rashide-mail: [email protected]
A. Ajmale-mail: [email protected]. Sadiqe-mail:
[email protected]
Keywords Global system for mobile communications Global packet
radio service Automatic meter reading Short message service
1 Introduction
The conventional energy metering system requires the
energysupplier company to send their representatives who man-ually
read and record the energy consumption for billingpurposes. The
manual energy reading system suffers froma wide variety of
disadvantages making it inefficient. Therequirement of huge
manpower to acquire meter readings isnot cost effective and with
human involvement, it is prone tohuman errors as well as tampering
of records. This leadsto non-transparency in the electric energy
metering sys-tem. To devise an efficient and transparent metering
system,
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the concept of automatic meter reading (AMR) and energyprofiling
system (EPS) evolved. It provides an effectivemeans of energy
consumption information collection and itsanalysis for accurate
billing [1,2]. A plethora of technolo-gies can be used for
implementing meter reading system,but each technology has its own
pros and cons [3]. Radiofrequency (RF)-based meter reading systems
make use ofhandheld devices, mobile and fixed networks [4].
Handhelddevice-based meter reading system uses a handheld
computerequipped with RF transceiver to collect readings, but it
doesnot make an optimum use of the AMR capable meters, asmeter
reading staff is still required. Mobile or drive-by meterreading is
another approach which has an RF meter readingdevice installed in a
vehicle to collect meter readings. Dueto the short range of
mobility, it again requires a team forcollection of meter readings.
AMR can also be implementedusing power line communication (PLC) and
telephone linenetwork, but it has an inherent disadvantage of
interferenceand noise, which deems it unreliable. Wi-Fi technology
hasalso been used for transmission of metering information, butnot
being a widespread technology, it requires the installationof
access points to cover the designated areas. A GSM-basedAMR system
has been shown in Fig. 1. GSM and GSM-Zig-bee hybrid models for AMR
have also been proposed in [5,6].
The proposed system has been indigenously developedto induce
transparency in the current electric meter readingsystem. It
facilitates low cost real time energy monitoring,profiling and
control using SMS or GPRS provided by widelyinstalled GSM network.
The initial version of the system wasdeveloped and tested using SMS
[7], whereas the system con-sidered in this paper has been
developed and tested for bothSMS and GPRS. The developed automation
leads to an effi-cient energy metering system which is transparent,
withouthuman errors and ideal for power distribution systems
ofdeveloping countries. System allows bidirectional commu-
nication thus allowing energy supplier company to
remotelycontrol the consumers electric meter and energy
consump-tion profiling system is also accessible to users and the
energysupply company. By incorporating control coupled with
pro-filing, the developed system creates some degree of aware-ness
among users, encouraging them towards conservationof energy. An
additional feature added to the developed EPSis global positioning
system (GPS) to indicate the locationof consumers, helping to
create traffic profile for energy sup-pliers. This can also be
beneficial when used with sensorsto indicate energy meter
tampering/theft and thus reducingoverall power loses.
2 System Overview
The developed EPS is based on existing electric power
dis-tribution system which uses digital electric meters installedat
consumers place. Our developed energy monitoring, pro-filing and
control system is shown in Fig. 2. It uses exist-ing digital
electric meters with an aim to interface themwith an indigenously
developed transceiver module through ameter interface unit (MIU).
The transceiver transmits electricenergy consumption data through
SMS to transceiver placedat server end whereas in case of GPRS the
server is accessedover the internet by consumer transceiver. The
server appli-cation is capable of updating the energy consumption
datain the database in real time using SMS or GPRS. The
serverapplication then makes use of this data to generate profile
ofeach consumer.
2.1 Digital Energy Meter and Meter Interface Unit (MIU)
Single phase digital energy meter A283 manufactured byMicroTech
Industries, Pakistan, has been used with the
Fig. 1 Concept of AMRsystem using GSM network
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Fig. 2 Architecture of energy monitoring, profiling and control
system
Fig. 3 Working of digital energy meter
indigenously developed system. Meter contains Teridian
sys-tem-on-chip (SoC) as shown in Fig. 3 which generates pulsesthat
are in direct accordance with the reading, at a rateof 3,200 pulses
per kW of energy consumed. Using thisapproach, the meter reading is
attained.
The meter interface unit is the component that is attachedto the
energy meters installed at the consumer end. It isresponsible for
acquiring electric energy consumption dataand then processing it
into a useful format, fit to be sent asSMS/GPRS data to the server
end. It includes the SMS/GPRSsending/receiving portion which sends
the data using GSMnetwork, and receives incoming data. The very
basic con-troller Atmel 89C52 was programmed to fulfil the
functionof the MIU. The meter interface unit has been developed
toperform following tasks.
2.1.1 Pulse Detection and Counting
The meter reading collection is based on the acquisition
andcounting of pulses, transmitted by energy meters [8]. In
order
Fig. 4 Meter interface unit basic functioning
to get reading from the meters, the first task is to detect
andcount these pulses as shown in Fig. 4. It requires developmentof
a basic pulse detector circuit, followed by summation ofthe number
of occurrences of the pulses detected, and com-putation of the
energy value accordingly.
2.1.2 Sending Energy Consumption Data
The consumption data attained is transmitted using the
GSMmodule. The consumption data can be sent continuously orafter a
predefined definite time interval, such that certainnumber of
consumed units is reported by the transceiver mod-ule to the server
application. However, polling is an addedfeature provided at the
server end, which enables the serverto poll the consumer end module
to send the consumptiondata of the electric meter, at any time. It
infuses flexibility inthe system and adds to the control exercised
by the server.The server has to send a message of UPD_READ
(UpdateReading) to the consumer, to trigger response from the
MIU.
2.1.3 Receiving Data at Consumer End and RemoteShutdown of
Energy Meter
The meter interface unit is programmed to receive SMS/GPRS data
sent from the server end, extract relevant infor-mation from it,
and then act accordingly. This portion laysfoundation for
incorporating control in the system. The mes-sages that are
received are stored in the SIM memory as andwhen they arrive and
are received by the MIU serially. Themicrocontroller is programmed
to interpret the extractedmessage and then act accordingly to
fulfil the requisite func-tion. A major feature of control has been
incorporated inthe system, which provides the server with a
facility, usingwhich, the electric supply company can cut off the
energyconnection of any user and reconnect it with equal
ease,remotely, without the need to send someone to do the
taskmanually. It can also be utilized in case the property is
vacatedby a tenant or when the supply needs to be disconnected
due
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to non-payment of energy bill. Moreover, if the supply com-pany
has a policy of placing restraints on the consumption, torein the
luxurious use as a measure for energy conservation,the defaulters
can be penalized by cutting off their supply fora predetermined
duration of time. A relay circuit is interfacedwith MIU, between
the mains supply and the meter for thispurpose.
2.2 Transceiver Module at Consumer End and Server End
The transceiver system at the consumer end and server end
iscapable of sending the energy consumption data using SMSor GPRS.
GSM technology incorporates encryption hencethe data transmitted is
secure. Transceiver may use more thanone GSM SIMs to send/receive
energy consumption data orcontrol data since lack of service or
network congestion can-not be afforded. Various consumers send
timed messagescontaining their respective energy consumption
readings sothat the server receives one message at a time and SMS
isdelivered without delay. In order to receive messages from theGSM
modem connected with the web server, an applicationhas been
developed in C#.NET and installed on the server.It receives
messages from the GSM modem and GPRS, siftthrough the message and
extract the consumer number andenergy reading, upload the
consumption readings into thedatabase, detect usage exceeding
threshold, detect locationchange of meter, alert the consumer of
excess energy usageand/or meter theft via text message. Meter theft
is controlledusing GPS module which is integral part of SIM548C
(GSM+ GPS module). Location of the meter, as received by theglobal
positioning system, is transmitted to the server endafter specific
intervals. The location received is compared tothe location stored
in the database, and in case of a mismatch,corresponding alert is
generated. Use of GPS in the devel-oped system is an efficient
measure that forestalls the metertheft, adding security to the
electric suppliers equipment.
2.3 Database Management System and Web Development
The database is maintained using MySQL server, in whichtwo
tables are maintained. Real-time consumption table logsall energy
readings, which is edited with each new receivedSMS. The users
table keeps record of subscribers, whichcan only be edited by the
administrator. The content of thereceived SMS is added as a new row
in the consumptionstable. A website was developed in PHP scripting
language,with the purpose to generate the energy profiles of users,
toview user records, energy consumption and billing informa-tion.
The website may be accessed from any location by theconsumer or the
administrator making the monitoring andprofiling system remote in
true sense.
2.3.1 Consumer Home Page
The homepage shows general information about the loggedin user
as shown in Fig. 5. Information such as todays usage,usage since
last payment, bill since last payment is updatedon refreshing the
page.
2.3.2 Administrator Home Page
The administrator has the option to add a new user, view
theexisting users, manage the users or view energy consumptionfor
all or individual users (shown in Fig. 6).
3 Testing and Results
At the initial phase of the system development, the meterreading
acquisition approach has been tested by comparingthe pulse readings
against the reading displayed by the energymeter through a test
load of 1,000 W. As the results provedthe approach accurate, it has
been utilized for acquiring themeter reading.
Fig. 5 Consumers home page
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Fig. 6 Administrators homepage
Fig. 7 Testing of system with load attached
The complete system as shown in Fig. 7, once devel-oped, was
tested by operating three meters simultaneously, sotheir timing and
synchronization of sending meter readings
to the servers, could be tested. The three meters were
pro-grammed to transmit readings serially, one after the other,so
the performance of the server end application could betested.
The testing phase provided accurate results, hence verify-ing
the performance of the system. It justified the use of GSMnetwork
for reliable transfer of data. During testing phase,results proved
that GSM network equips the system withalways-connected, two-way
communication, helping enableboth monitoring and control. Moreover,
due to the nation-wide coverage of already installed GSM
infrastructure, thereis no need for installation or upgradation of
infrastructureor software. SMS provided by GSM network adds to
thereliability of the system, because of its store and forward-ing
feature, such that no SMS is lost even in case of poorGSM signals.
GSM technology already caters to preven-tion of outside sources
from accessing or tampering with
Fig. 8 Billing versusconsumption
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transmitted data, by utilizing encryption techniques.
Thedevelopment of universal mobile telecommunications system(UMTS)
introduces an optional universal subscriber identitymodule (USIM),
which provides greater security, and mutualauthentication, by using
a longer authentication key. The pro-filing system generated
accurate and elaborate consumptiongraphs, fulfilling its function
maximally. The profiling sys-tem is equipped with the feature to
produce elaborate andillustrative curves, showing daily, monthly
and yearly con-sumption of energy, along with the billing info as
shown inFigs. 8, 9.
The energy curve for any month is plotted for the specifieduser
for the current year, in the form of a bar chart as shownin Fig.
10.
4 Analysis
A system of remote energy monitoring, profiling and con-trol
system has been built with efficient utilization of theexisting
digital meters and the already installed GSM infra-structure. With
the advent of digital technology, electrome-chanical meters are
continuously being replaced by digitalmeters. Digital energy meters
offer greater convenience toimplement and establish automatic meter
reading systemelectronically. To develop an efficient, reliable and
effec-tive system of AMR, various technologies have been uti-lized,
analyzed in Table 1. The developed project utilizes theexisting
wide spread and already installed infrastructure ofGSM network. The
store and forwarding features of SMS
Fig. 9 Energy usage curve
Fig. 10 Monthly energy usagein a year
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Table 1 Analysis of AMR technologies
Technology Analysis
Handheld, touch-based Transparent but requires manual
meterreading
Mobile Short range of mobility, requires teamof readers
Fixed network, ethernet Expensive infrastructure requiredRF
Network Usually simplex (one-way) systemsPower line communication
Inherent disadvantage of interference
and noiseWireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) Reduced coverage area,
installation
of access points required
allow reliable meter reading delivery when the GSM signalis
affected by poor weather conditions.
4.1 Compact Design and Cost Effective Solution
The developed prototype makes efficient usage of the age-less
yet simple 8052 microcontroller which is an easy to use,low cost
and versatile controller. A single microcontrolleris utilized as a
meter interface unit and also formulates themessages containing the
meter reading via the transmissionmodule. Synchronization in pulse
counting is not requiredwith the digital meter since the readings
are transmitted inthe form of pulse counts and not energy readings
in Kilo-Watt hours. SIM548C has been used that is equipped withGPS
technology for satellite navigation along with Quad-Band GSM/GPRS
functionality. The compact design of theprototype makes it easy to
integrate into the existing digitalmeter casing. This lays off the
cost for redesigning the exist-ing meters and saves both time and
cost for the integrationof additional hardware components.
4.2 Location Monitoring
As an additional feature, a GPS module has also been
incor-porated in the system so that an immediate low level alert
tothe consumer could be generated in case the position of themeter
is changed indicating meter theft.
4.3 Automated System with No Data Loss
Since there are a huge number of consumers, the prototypemodules
have been programmed to transmit their readingsat different
instances in time so that no data is lost dueto network congestion
at the server end. If consumptiondata is not delivered to the
server end, it is not a problemsince the module sends the
cumulative pulse count from thetime the meter was turned on, not
the pulse count betweensuccessive messages. At the server end the
SIM number isused to identify and retrieve the consumer details
from thereceived messages so the overhead of assigning,
transmit-ting and maintaining unique UIDs is obviated. The
processof extracting useful data and uploading it to the databaseis
completely automated and requires no human interven-tion.
4.4 Efficient Monitoring and Transparent billing
An efficient mechanism for monitoring of energy consump-tion has
been ensured with detailed consumption informationin the form of a
dynamically uploaded consumption tablein database as shown in Fig.
11.
The user database as shown in Fig. 12 is also maintainedin the
form of a separate data table and may be edited easilyusing the
administrative command of update.
The system is developed with an inherent transparencyfeature,
where the consumer can access his billing informa-tion at any
instance of time, along with the elaborate recordsbeing maintained.
Bill amount for various consumption val-ues may be examined by the
consumer in the form of ademonstrative billing information curve,
which removes theneed of any hassle for later verification of
bills. The user canalso monitor his bill/current energy consumption
calculatedsince his last payment.
4.5 Ubiquitous Web Interface with Elaborate Profiling
An illustrative and interactive web interface not only
makesaccessing user, consumption and billing information
moreeasier, but also makes it ubiquitous in the sense that both
Fig. 11 Database consumptiontable
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Fig. 12 Users database table
Fig. 13 Consumption historypage
the consumer as well as the supplier may access theirdesired
information from anywhere and at any time. Thedata maintained is
current, such that it is updated in realtime.
The user may view his consumption history as shownin Fig. 13 in
tabular form or in the form of an energyusage curve for any
specified duration of time. Vivid datapoints, that is exact date
and time value for any consump-tion may also be viewed. User
profiles are maintained inthe form of consumption trends, such that
the administra-tor (supplier) has the option of viewing both the
yearlycumulative consumption of all users in a monthly break-down
fashion as a bar graph, or the supplier may alsoview a consumers
energy usage for a particular month.The administrator also has the
option of having a birdseye view of the meters placement on an area
map asshown in Fig. 14. The administrator only has to click onthe
place marker for any user, and the respective con-sumers
consumption curve for the current month is dis-played.
5 Future Work
This system has been developed with the idea to automatethe
energy metering system, which would result in efficiencyin the way
consumption of electricity is recorded. The futurework in this
field would require making the system more pro-ficient so that it
can be implemented commercially. Theseimprovements will include
addition of more features thatwould add to the efficiency of the
system. The underuse ofmeter processing needs to be countered, by
introducing suchan approach of meter reading acquisition that would
collectnot only the meter reading in kWh, but also other
usefulinformation like the meter serial number, current and
previ-ous month MDI, etc. This approach would prove beneficial,and
would lead to optimum use of the advanced meter pro-cessing,
available these days in the electronic energy meters.An effective
tampering detection system can also be incorpo-rated in the already
devised system. This can be achieved ifthe reading from the
substation point, from which the energyis being branched out to the
consumers, can be attained.
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Fig. 14 Location of consumerson map
An improvement in the profiling system can be in the formof
forming probabilistic profiles of consumers.
6 Conclusion
This system paves the way to automatic metering of electric-ity
consumption. A complete working prototype of remoteenergy
monitoring and profiling system has been developedto demonstrate an
automatic energy meter reading systemusing GSM network. It takes
the advantage of existing GSMinfrastructure which is widely spread
in the country and hasgood coverage area. The prototype includes
simple and easyinstallation of meter interface units, which need to
be attachedto the already installed energy meters, and the
profiling sys-tem would require trained personnel to monitor the
servers.It provides effective, reliable and efficient wireless
automaticpower reading, billing, and notification. The additional
fea-tures equip the system with the capability to perform manyother
different functions that are beneficial to both the elec-tricity
supplier as well as the electricity user. Not forgettingthe system
devised can also be extended to be used with watermeters as well as
gas meters or even a combination of thesethree different
meters.
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Remote Energy Monitoring, Profiling and Control Through GSM
NetworkAbstract1 Introduction2 System Overview2.1 Digital Energy
Meter and Meter Interface Unit (MIU)2.1.1 Pulse Detection and
Counting2.1.2 Sending Energy Consumption Data2.1.3 Receiving Data
at Consumer End and Remote Shutdown of Energy Meter
2.2 Transceiver Module at Consumer End and Server End2.3
Database Management System and Web Development2.3.1 Consumer Home
Page2.3.2 Administrator Home Page
3 Testing and Results4 Analysis4.1 Compact Design and Cost
Effective Solution4.2 Location Monitoring4.3 Automated System with
No Data Loss4.4 Efficient Monitoring and Transparent billing4.5
Ubiquitous Web Interface with Elaborate Profiling
5 Future Work6 ConclusionReferences