Smart Power Monitoring System Using Wireless Sensor Networks S.P.S. Gill, N. K. Suryadevara and S. C. Mukhopadhyay Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand Contact email: Satinderpalg@gmail.com Abstract The design and development of a Smart Power monitoring device has reported in this paper. System has been designed that can be used to monitor electrical parameters such as voltage, current and power of household appliances. The system consists of a smart sensing unit that detects and controls the home electrical appliances used for daily activities by following different tariff rates. It can reduce costs for the consumers and thereby improve grid stability. A developed prototype has been extensively tested and experimental results have compared with conventional measuring devices. Keywords: Wireless Sensor Networks, Power, Voltage, Current, ZigBee. I. INTRODUCTION A smart grid is an electrical grid that uses computer and other information technologies to gather and act in an automated fashion to improve system’s reliability and efficiency [1]. Smart grid term was coined in year 2005[1]. The smart grid enables information technology as a root to penetrate into existing today’s electrical distribution system through information technology by using wireless sensor network. Smart Grid utility system encapsulates the net metering system for facilitating consumers to optimally utilize the power consumption. The gaining importance and urgency of an integrated smart grid monitoring system use wireless sensors network for advancements in metering of the electrical meters to provide more efficiency, reliability and options to consumer. Smart meters’ Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) provide interface between the utility and its customers providing bi- direction control mechanism, advanced functionalities, real-time electricity pricing, accurate load characterization and outage detection or restoration [2]. II. CURRENT RESEARCH WORKS Projects like Smart grids utilising wireless sensor network technologies are being promoted by US government as a way of addressing energy independence, global warming and emergency resilience issues. A report on revenue for Smart Grid from sales of smart grid sensing, monitoring, control systems and related software sold to the worldwide smart grid sector are $6.3 billion by 2014 and double to $13 billion by 2018. Software for home area network applications will bring revenue five times greater than $1.1 billion by 2014. While home energy monitoring has been popular in the past, subsidized smart meter deployments will make it cost effective [3]. Wired sensor networks have already been reached and deployed in many applications over a decade; because of the wireless extension, smart grids have witnessed a tremendous upsurge in interest and activities in recent years. New technologies include cutting-edge advancements in information technology, sensors, metering, transmission, distribution, and electricity storage technology, as well as providing new information and flexibility to both consumers and providers of electricity. The ZigBee Alliance, the wireless communication platform is presently examining Japan’s new smart home wireless system implication by having a new initiative with Japan’s Government that will evaluate use of the forthcoming ZigBee Internet Protocol (IP) specification and the IEEE 802.15.4g standard to help Japan create smart homes that improve energy management and efficiency [4]. It is expected that 65 million households will equip with smart meters by 2015 and it is a realistic estimate of the size of the home energy management market [5]. Smart Grid and wireless sensor networks provides an intelligent functions that advance interactions of agents such as telecommunication, control and optimization to achieve adaptability, self-healing, efficiency, cyber security and reliability of power systems while reducing the cost and providing efficient resource management and utilization. A wide range of smart meter research is being carried during the last decade. Various architectural design and development methods of smart grid utility system for effectively managing and controlling the household appliances for optimal energy harvesting have been presented [6-7]. In order to connect various domestic appliances and have wireless networks to monitor and control based on the effective power tariffs have been proposed [7-8], but the prototypes are verified using test bed scenarios. Also, smart meter systems like [9], have been designed to specific usages particularly related to geographical usages and are limited to specific places. Different Information and Communication technologies integrating with smart meter devices have been proposed and tested at different flats in a residential area for optimal power utilization [10-11], but individual controlling of the devices are limited to specific houses. Considering performance and cost factors related to design and development of smart meters and also predicting the usage of the power consumption have been demonstrated [12-14]. However, low-cost, flexible and robust system to continuously monitor and control based on consumer requirements are at early stages of development. 2012 Sixth International Conference on Sensing Technology 978-1-4577-0167-2/12/$26.00 ©2012 IEEE 444