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An Open Hardware Design For Internet of Things Pow Parte1

An Open Hardware Design for Internet of Things Pow Parte1

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Alex Huisa Alvarez
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48 views

An Open Hardware Design For Internet of Things Pow Parte1

An Open Hardware Design for Internet of Things Pow Parte1

Uploaded by

Alex Huisa Alvarez
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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sensors

Article
An Open Hardware Design for Internet of Things
Power Quality and Energy Saving Solutions
Eduardo Viciana, Alfredo Alcayde, Francisco G. Montoya * , Raul Baños,
Francisco M. Arrabal-Campos and Francisco Manzano-Agugliaro
Department of Engineering, University of Almeria, 04120 Almeria, Spain; [email protected] (E.V.);
[email protected] (A.A.); [email protected] (R.B.); [email protected] (F.M.A.-C.); [email protected] (F.M.-A.)
* Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +34-950-214501

Received: 24 December 2018; Accepted: 30 January 2019; Published: 1 February 2019 

Abstract: An important challenge for our society is the transformation of traditional power systems
to a decentralized model based on renewable energy sources. In this new scenario, advanced devices
are needed for real-time monitoring and control of the energy flow and power quality (PQ). Ideally,
the data collected by Internet of Thing (IoT) sensors should be shared to central cloud systems for
online and off-line analysis. In this paper openZmeter (oZm) is presented as an advanced low-cost
and open-source hardware device for high-precision energy and power quality measurement in
low-voltage power systems. An analog front end (AFE) stage is designed and developed for the
acquisition, conditioning, and processing of power signals. This AFE can be stacked on available
quadcore embedded ARM boards. The proposed hardware is capable of adapting voltage signals up
to 800 V AC/DC and currents up to thousands of amperes using different probes. The oZm device
is described as a fully autonomous open-source system for the computation and visualization of
PQ events and consumed/generated energy, along with full details of its hardware implementation.
It also has the ability to send data to central cloud management systems. Given the small size of
the hardware design and considering that it allows measurements under a wide range of operating
conditions, oZm can be used both as bulk metering or as metering/submetering device for individual
appliances. The design is released as open hardware and therefore is presented to the community as
a powerful tool for general usage.

Keywords: smart meter; low cost; network analyser; electricity; power quality; energy metering

1. Introduction
As electricity distribution grids are being developed, the need for metering has increased. In 1977,
Paraskevakos [1] presented the first automatic and commercialized remote meter. Nevertheless, the
concept of remote and smart metering was not considered for many years. Many concerns in recent
years have arisen, including climate change, trends in the electricity markets, efficiency, and the
promotion of renewable energy resources. In addition, other active agents in power systems are
promoting distributed grids with distributed storage. This drastic change requires an evolution in the
actual electricity model [2].
The core of the smart grid concept resides in an electricity grid model able to treat different
energy sources in an efficient and decentralised manner. The capability for a new metering
system or smart metering will manage this smart grid. Smart metering or an intelligent metering
system is defined as “an electronic system that can measure energy consumption, providing more
information than a conventional meter, and can transmit and receive data using a form of electronic
communication.” This definition was established by the European Parliament in its 2012/27/EC
directive [3]. The implementation of the energy efficiency directive can be found in [4].

Sensors 2019, 19, 627; doi:10.3390/s19030627 www.mdpi.com/journal/sensors


Sensors 2019, 19, 627 2 of 25

This implementation of the energy efficiency directive is a consequence of the transition of


power grids from centralised generation to distributed generation, motivated by global trends in
environmentally friendly power generation systems. This is possible if the real state of the grids is
known. This requires fine-grained knowledge of the state itself. The concept of the smart grid allows
for the delivery of electricity in a controlled system.
A smart grid is an electric grid that joins points of generation to points of consumption, which
recognize the real state of the net. Since a smart grid is conceived to deliver electricity, the consequence
is the emergence of new and developing technologies in power generation, transmission, and
distribution. This can be considered as a class of technology driven by recent advances in renewable
energy sources and modern communications and computation technologies [5]. The electric grid
is more than a generation and transmission infrastructure. It is an ecosystem with assets from
government, providers, manufacturers, and owners. This technology set up three foundations:
advanced renewable energy sources, control systems, and computer processing [6]. These advanced
technologies must be composed with advanced sensors known as advanced measurement units or
multipurpose network analysers and smart meters [7], allowing operators to assess grid stability and
provide consumers with better information including automatically reported outages. The system
includes relays that sense and recover from faults at a substation automatically, automated feeder
switches that reroute power around problems, and batteries that store excess energy and make it
available later to the grid to meet customer demand.
Many studies have highlighted the advantages derived from the progressive development of
distributed generation systems, smart grids, and microgrids [8,9]. Under this new paradigm, some
authors have drawn attention to the importance of developing new sensors and tools for the real-time
monitoring and control of the energy flow and power quality. For example, in [10] the residential
power consumption is modelled using smart meters and data mining techniques. Other researchers
have proposed systems for real-time detection and classification of power quality disturbances in smart
grids [11]. These smart metering systems are often integrated with computing and communication
technologies to enhance efficiency and reliability of future power systems with renewable energy
resources [12]. Further, smart meters include efficient control and processing algorithms [13]. In [14]
smart handheld devices were used to perform the real-time monitoring and fuzzy control strategies
of an intelligent windowsill system in a smart home. In [15] neural network and swarm intelligence
approaches were successfully applied to analyze the dynamic operation and control strategies for a
microgrid hybrid power supply systems. Moreover, the system stability has also been considered in
by some researchers. In [16] it was proposed a direct building algorithm for microgrid distribution
ground fault analysis that consider the network topology changes. The topological characteristics of
the microgrid are also considered in [17], where it was proposed an unsymmetrical faults analysis
method with hybrid compensation for microgrid distribution systems. In [18] it was proposed an
optimization algorithm to manage real-time congestions using all power system capabilities.
Complex networks and the advance of electronic devices have inspired the power quality (PQ)
concept [19], that is, the measurement of the amount of disturbance in the electricity supply, which is
later assessed. Millions and millions of electronic devices are plugged into the grid, affecting the global
grid. Most PQ problems result from grid-connected distributed generations. In addition, nonlinear
electronic loads introduce PQ disturbances into the grid because electric car chargers, rectifiers, lighting,
switch-mode power supplies, and other power electronic devices are commonly used [20].
PQ disturbances such as swell, sag, interruption, oscillatory transients, flicker, and harmonic
distortion are becoming challenging issues for power systems. Modulated power sinusoids have
also been detected. Both can manifest as steady-state or transient states. These disturbances may
impose penalties on consumers by adding reactive power, redispatch costs, and load curtailment
costs. Moreover, these PQ problems can overheat the transformers, damage capacitor banks, and affect
sensitive electronic equipment [21]. Owing to the increase of these issues, scientists and engineers

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