Scientific Journal of Impact Factor(SJIF): 3.

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e-ISSN(O): 2348-4470
p-ISSN(P): 2348-6406

International Journal of Advance Engineering and Research

Development
Volume 2,Issue 5, May -2015

Implementation of Smart Grid System using Digital Energy Meter

Viren Patel1 , Prof. M ithila S. Zodape 2
1

PG Student, G. H. Patel College of Engineering & Technology

Professer, G. H. Patel College of Engineering & Technology

ABSTRACT: After enactment of Electricity Act 2003 in India, a comprehensive change is occurring in Indian power
sector, and power distribution utilities are going through a reformation pro cess to cope up with the regulatory change
for reduction in Aggregated Technical and Commercial Loss, improvement in Power Quality, Reliability of Power
Supply, Improvement in Customer Satisfaction and rationalization of electricity tariff. Apart from rest ructuring and
unbundling of the power sector there is a need for introduction of `smart grid' technology to increase the operational as
well technological efficiency of the power distribution network to meet the growing energy demand of India. One subset
of smart grids is smart metering.
This research work focuses on a Smart Metering technology for distributing electricity smartly and efficiently to the
consumers. The main drawback of previously used traditional meters was that no information was provided t o the
consumers, which is accomplished with the help of Smart Meter. A Smart Meter helps consumer to know the consumption
of electricity for appliances in their respective houses. The aim of this research work is to measure and analyze power
consumption using Smart Meter.
One way to make the smart metering feasible is to have real time Digital Energy Meter. Digital Energy Meter offers high
reliability and a longer operating life. Coming to Apparent energy metering, a shift from the existing kWh system to the
kVAh system will have a major impact on loss reduction and power quality, due to the exponential relationship between
line losses and current. The current electrical tariff system is awed, unfair, and inefficient. World over, kilo -Watt-hour,
or kWh, is used as the unit of electrical energy for measurement and tariff which represents only the useful component of
Electrical Energy. However, current drawn from a utility not only delivers active energy component to the load, but also
the inefficient lossy energy components such as the Inductive and Harmonic components.
By using smart meter, meter to hub communication are possible so consumers are more aware about their energy use in
real time.
Keywords: Smart Gri d, S mart Meter, MSP430, Digital Energy Meter
I.
INTRODUCTION
Current grids have one way communication and are typically not real time system. The smart grid has two way
communicat ions and is real time system. Being a real t ime system they can interact extensively with the consumer. Smart
grid provides digital metering which is pro-active, provides real time protection. For digitally metering smart meter is
used. Energy expenditures will be lowered by increasing the possibility of reduced consumption using analyzed Smart
Meter data motivated to perform this research work. During the usage of traditional meters, there is involvement of
wastage of much energy to man power. As the electricity consumption of the household is known on monthly basis by
conventional meters, there is an overall demand for the electricity utilities to explore a new develop ment for benefit of
the consumers as well as themselves. However, the study determines to make attempts to replace electricity meter in
respective households by minimizing the drawbacks occurred by consumer. The d aily electrical usages change with
respect to habits and it is mostly dependent on behaviour of consumers. By using tradit ional meters, usages are not
flattened as consumers are not aware of the knowledge about how much consumption has been made in an hour or any
particular interval of time in a day. The uncertain perception of the consumers can also be falsified as most of the
consumers have very low knowledge regarding the Smart Meter and its installation. Lastly, to enable change and read
concerns in the market also motivated to perform this study.[2]
At current grid consumer are not aware about real time power consumption and due to that lots of energy is wasted.
And also consumer less interact with the grid. By using the smart grid consumer are aware about real time power
consumption and customers will have greater control over their electricity use when coupled with time based tariff. It
provides sufficient information to the grid in order for the grid to communicate back. Smart Meters are the first s tep
toward creating a Smart Grid through which variable tariff can be ach ieved which will save electrical energy and also the
consumer will benefit economically. Through smart meters the problem of electrical energy theft can be co mpletely
nullified.[3]
II.
Basic Block Diagram of Digital Energ y Meter
The basic block d iagram of the embedded system is as shown in the figure 1

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International Journal of Advance Engineer ing and Research Development (IJAERD)

Volume 2,Issue 5, May -2015, e-ISSN: 2348 - 4470 , print-ISSN:2348-6406

Figure 1 B asic Block Diagram of Digital Energy Meter

The power line voltage is the one which is measured. The resistive divider attenuates the line voltage to an acceptable
input voltage for the energy measurement IC. As this voltage is analog, it has to be converted into digital value for
further processing and to serve the purpose we require an Analog to Dig ital Convertor (ADC) functional block. The
outputs from ADC are fed to the controllers which are then processed to give actual outputs on the Liquid Crystal
Display (LCD). We also have the LED for pulse output with the pulse count generally being 3200 or 6 400 pulses per
kWh. Real Time Clock (RTC), EEPROM or other peripherals may be connected as per requirements. These days there
are mixed signal p rocessors that feature an inbuilt ADC unit as well as LCD driver.
Algorith ms require clear representation of both actual power consumption and actual demand. Th is necessitates high
accuracy and mult iple metrology functions, including: distortion; active, reactive, and apparent power; energy; RMS
voltage and current; and frequency. Fro m figure 2.1 one can make out th at the micro-controller unit (M CU) is at the heart
of the metering design with essential peripherals connected to it. The various functional blocks include ADC, RTC, LED,
LCD display and EEPROM. AM R can be included for added functionalities. Individual b lo cks are exp lained as follows:
MCU: Measurement accuracy is determined by resolution, precision, and dynamic range. Many general-purpose MCUs
are limited in their accuracy and dynamic range. Hence we have ASIC c h ips that are designed for a single application.
The micro-controller unit is the first and foremost requirement to build up a meter. The choice of the controller decides
the choice of peripherals to be connected to it.
ADC: Analog to digital conversion is almost used in every field for dig ital outpu t. A number of ADC ICs are availab le.
As the signal to be measured is AC and requires dig ital p rocessing before it is in the form o f final output, the ADC unit is
essential. It converts the AC voltage into dc value. Separate ICs can be used for ADC functio nal block. Successive
approximation or Sig ma delta conversion may be the method followed for ADC conversion. Once the ADC outputs a
digital value, it is fed to the MCU for further processing. ADC ICs are available with 8 -,10-,12-,14- bit sampling. A few
examples are A DC1002, AD7440BRTZ, AD7921, and MAX182BCPI.
RTC: In this world of digit ization we are working with real t ime systems. RTC stands for real time clock. RTC ICs
operate as the clock in various devices. This clock function operates even when the p ower is turned off. In portable
devices, it is important to reduce the current consumption of the real -time clock IC to extend the battery life. For eg. SII's
real-t ime clock ICs have a time-keeping current consumption of 0.25 A and a time-keeping operating voltage of 1.1 V,
which enables a much longer battery life. It also offers various total-system solutions, such as high-accuracy clock
correction, constant output of 32 kHz, wakeup signals, expanded alarms and 24-bit binary up-counters. SII's real-t ime
clock ICs are world's smallest due to the employment of small W LP and SNT packages, enabling users to streamline
their devices.
EEPROM: It means Electrical Erasable Programmable Read On ly Memory. An EEPROM can be both erased and
programmed with electrical pulses fro m a programmer kit, burner or the equip ment itself. Since it can be both electrically
written into and electrically erased, the EEPROM ic can be quickly programmed and erased in circuit for reprogramming
without taking them out from the main board. EEPROM is also called a non-volatile memo ry because when the power is
switched off, the stored data (informat ion) in the EEPROM ic will not be erased or corrupt and the data is still intact.
Examples of EEPROM ICs are 24C128 (16k), PCF8594 (512-byte).[7]
LCD Dri ver: The display module co mprises of LCD driver and LCD d isplay. This driver drives various segments of
LCD. A number of LCD drivers are available that are compatible with different MCUs. For eg. PCF8676D is a universal
LCD driver by NXP, wh ich can drive upto 160 segments of LCD. These days some MCUs have in built LCD driver.
Various packages are also available in o rder to choose the one most suitable to your design.
LCD: LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display. It is a thin, at electronic v isual disp lay that uses light modulating
properties of liquid crystals. They are used in a wide range of applications. They are compact, light weight, portable and
more reliable. Now a days dot matrix LCDs are available that uses 2-dimensional array of dots to represent characters.
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International Journal of Advance Engineer ing and Research Development (IJAERD)

Volume 2,Issue 5, May -2015, e-ISSN: 2348 - 4470 , print-ISSN:2348-6406
LCD needs to be interfaced with the controller for being used. LCD driver drives the LCD.
AMR: The AMR system starts at the meter. AMR automates the process of measurement through digital communicat ion
techniques. Critical benefits from AMR include ability to detect tamper events and outage occurrences, remotely connect
or disconnect power supply through meter; timely data which g ives accurate load information for supply scheduling,
switching operations and planning. AMR net- work architecture consists of GSM based communication where we have
single stage communication between meter and central station through GSM Modem or Hybrid Co mmunicat ion where
we have two stages of communication. The outcome is smart automated process instead of manual work and accurate
informat ion fro m the network load to optimize maintenance and investments.
III.
RES ULTS AND DISCUSS ION
The AC voltage is brought down from 230V to 0.32Vrms through a resistor divider and fed to the controller for further
processing as discussed in the analog section. The voltage signal of value 0.32Vrms was externally provided through a
small circuitry direct ly to the port pins. The setup is shown in figure 2. Results obtained are tabulated in table 1 where P
represents active power and S apparent energy.
V(volts)
200.25
200.52
200.24
200.51
200.24
Table 1 Readings

I(A mp)
2.94
2.94
2.94
2.94
2.94
of the TI-meter

Freq(Hz)
49.87
49.67
49.53
49.98
49.79

P(Watts)
592
582
594
589
586

S(VAh)
5
11
17
23
29

Cal. VAh
5.88
11.76
17.64
23.52
29.40

There is a time lapse of 35 seconds every time the kVAh reading appears. It is well observed that the reading increases
by a constant difference of 6VAh. Hence, in 3600 seconds we will obtain 617.4VA h i.e. 0.617kVAh. Taking the first
reading,

Figure 2 Setup to provi de 0.36Vrms externally

Apparent power calculated as the product of Vrms and Irms as follows:
S = Vrms x Irms
S = 200.21 x 2.92 = 588.735 VA
Therefore for one hour, 588.735 VA x 1 hour = 0.588 kVAh.
As per the readings, we have 0.617 kVAh. Hence the theoretical and practical values match. The calcu lated v alues are
tabulated in table 1
Current consumptions: The various operating modes of the chip are software co nfigurable. In an infinite loop the
controller is made to wait in low power mode. Different low power modes are configured after which the measurement of
current consumed by the metering board is performed. The current consumption in various operating mode s of the
controller is noted in table 2.
Where, V is voltage in volts, I is current in microamperes and P is the power consumption in mill watts. Active mode,
Low power mode 0 and low power mode 4 are the various operating modes of the controller.
Op. mode
V(volts)
Active
3.3
LPM0
3.3
LPM4
3.3
Table 2 power consumption of the TI-meter
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I(A)
4400
12.5
6.5

P=V* I(mW )
14.2
0.0418
0.0214
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International Journal of Advance Engineer ing and Research Development (IJAERD)

Volume 2,Issue 5, May -2015, e-ISSN: 2348 - 4470 , print-ISSN:2348-6406

In electro mechanical meters the power consumption of the metering circu it was one Watt. Now it has been brought down
upto 0.014 Watts with the help of efficiently working ASICs. Power savings of 98.5% are achieved. This special feature
of low power modes makes them ideally suitable for energy metering.
Energy-meter outputs: Once the metering code is loaded into the ash, the code begins execution and shows results.
Various display parameters like Vo ltage, current, frequency, active power and apparent energy are shown in figures 3, 4,
5 and 6 respectively.

Figure 3 Vol tage reading

Figure 4 Current Readi ng

Figure 5 kW reading

Figure 6 kVAh readi ng

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International Journal of Advance Engineer ing and Research Development (IJAERD)

Volume 2,Issue 5, May -2015, e-ISSN: 2348 - 4470 , print-ISSN:2348-6406

IV.
CONCLUS ION
Fro m the analysis we can say that MSP430FE427A is ideal choices for build ing up an efficient energy meter
and a smart meter.
MSP430 is best suitable as it requires lo w supply voltage range, ultra lo w power consumption, anti-tempering
characteristics and high performance fo r precision measurement for the design of the digital smart meter.
In active operating modes the current consumption is around 4400A whereas the current consumption for
Sleep modes is around 0.1A for MSP430. Thus significant power savings up to 98.5% are achieved.
It is concluded that MSP430FE427 provide a single chip solution for efficient energy metering. They have
powerful analog front end with mu ltip le converters and enhanced peripherals for g reate r accuracy. So, they
provide accurate measurements. They are compact in design and easy to install. They are highly reliable over
conventional meters as they employ efficient real t ime modules. Tamper detection functionalities are also
inherited in it reducing the chances of theft.
The tariff: Significant power savings can be achieved with kVAh tariffs imp lemented. Apparent energy based
tariff is the only single parameter based tariff that is fair and incorporates an embedded power factor based
discount mechanism. By having a singular definition of apparent energy and simple d igital signal processing
based metering technologies we can effectively trigger an electrical revolution where the market will see rapid
sales of efficient electrical appliances. It is a Win -Win solution where the consumers can avail tariff discounts
by becoming more efficient while the electric utilit ies can increase its revenue considerably both through loss
reduction and through the collection of penal charges fro m the defaulting co nsumers

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would also like to exp ress my deepest gratitude to my Dr. Vithal N. Kamat and his co mpany of Baroda Electrical Meter
for providing me support throughout work and always boosting up my spirit.
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Urban Areas , 1997.
[2] Fawzi Al-Naima and Bahaa Jalil Bu ild ing a prototype
prepaid electricity metering system based on RFID in
International Journal of Electrical Engineering,ISSN:2277-7040, volume 1, Issue 1
[3] Anmar Arif, Muhannad AI-Hussain, Nawaf AI-Mutairi, Essam AI-A mmar,Yasin Khan and Nazar Malik
Experimental Study and Design of Smart Energy Meter for the Smart Grid in IEEE-2013
[4] Potuganti Prudhvi, Dhruv Bhalodi, Manikant Manohar, Vamshi Padidela, Sudarshan Adapa A Smart Energy Meter
Architecture in Indian Context in IEEE-2012
[5] Nabil Mohammad, Ano madarshi Barua and Muhammad Abdullah Arafat, A Smart Prepaid Energy Metering System
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