ABSTRACT
Innovative solutions for various industries have been developed as a result of the
proliferation of Internet of
Things (IoT) devices. IoT has the potential to completely change how electricity is
produced, transmitted, and
used in the electricity sector. The use of IoT for detecting and preventing
electricity theft is one such
application. Meter tampering, also known as electricity theft, is a significant
problem that affects the revenue
and profitability of electricity boards. It entails circumventing meters in an
unlawful manner in order to use
electricity without paying for it. This not only costs government’s money, but also
puts consumers and the
electricity grid in danger of injury or damages. In this project, we propose
creating an IoT-based system to track
down and stop electricity theft. Smart meters with sensors and communication
capabilities make up the
system, along with a central server for data processing and analysis. Electricity
consumption patterns are
continuously monitored by smart meters, which also send data to a central cloud-
based database. The database
values are utilized by the authorities when it discovers anomalies or suspicious
activity upon close monitoring
of the data stored in real-time. The proposed system could significantly lower the
number of instances of
electricity theft, increasing revenue and profitability for the electricity
providers while enhancing consumer
safety. By offering real-time information on electricity consumption and billing,
it can also assist utilities in
streamlining their operations and enhancing customer service.
Keywords: Internet Of Things, Meter Tampering, Smart Meters, Database, Real Time
Information.
INTODUCTION
Internet of Things is a term used for a system where devices are given IP
addresses, and everybody makes the
device recognizable on the internet via that IP address. The web, which started
with the internet of computers,
is developing. Researchers have predicted a volatile increase in the number of
sensors, devices, or “things”
connected to the internet. The product network is known as the Internet of Things
(IoT) . IoT has the
propensity to alter people’s lifestyles. People prefer to monitor things through
automatic systems in today’s
world rather than through any manual system together with the circuitry driving the
system, which are the
main elements of the IoT-based electricity theft detection system introduced in
this project. An economy's
production and consumption of electricity are key determinants of its size and
development, electricity theft
slows economic growth. Even though exporting electric power is rarely profitable,
most of it is produced for
domestic use. Even though only a few nations profit from the export of electric
power, the majority of it is used
for domestic consumption in developing nations.
Most developing countries have suffered undesirable economic consequences to meet
the demands of
electricity for real estate and industrialization due to electricity theft.
According to the World Bank's
development indicator collection, the percentage of distribution and losses due to
transmission in Ghana was
23% in 2014, gathered from officially recognized sources. Reducing transmission and
distribution losses is the
greatest challenge to power utility authorities.
We can categorize the losses into technical (TL) as well as non-technical (NTL) .
Technical losses are in-built
into the system which is reduceable to an appreciable level; the remaining is due
to power dissipated in
equipment and conductions used for the distribution and transmission lines NTL
happens due to inaccuracy of
metering, stealing, or theft of electricity, as well as energy consumed but
unrecorded by the energy meter.
Electricity theft is the energy consumed by a customer that is unaccounted for or
not measured by the energy
meter. Theft of electricity happens due to meter tampering, meter bypassing, and
service lines tapping into the customers’ premises. Due to the deficiencies in the
metering system and the lack of transparency and
accountability in billing customers of electricity in public utilities, customers
take advantage to steal electricity
to avoid paying the realistic tariff. Electricity theft causes a very high negative
impact on the financial status of
power distribution and utility companies, which puts pressure on future investment
in the power sector. The
ripple effect is that the losses incurred due to the theft are passed as the cost
to the paying consumers in either
poor quality service or higher tariff.
Reports suggest 25 percent of Ghana’s current annual average losses are due to
electricity theft. However, the
emergence of smart grid technologies has informed researchers to utilize the smart
grid platform to detect and
monitor electricity theft. Our research proposes a generalized IOT-based design
using an ATMEGA328
microcontroller to detect electricity theft by comparing the recorded values of
current at the utility service
intake to the recorded value of current at the energy meter intake. The result of
the compared values is stored
on the database server, which is accessible in real-time.
HARDWARE REQUIREMENT
1. ESP32 MICROCONTROLLER
2. LCD DISPLAY
3. POWER SUPPLY MODULE
4. ELECTRIC ENERGY METER
5. CURRENT SENSOR
6. VOLTAGE SENSOR
7. WI-FI MODULE
8. LCD DRIVER
9. MAGNETIC READ SENSOR
10. VOLTAGE REGULATOR
11. POTENTIOMETER
12. SWITCHES
13. BULB HOLDER
12. WIRE
13. LED & HALOGEN BULB
14. JUMPER WIRES
15. HEADER PINS
16. CAPACITORS
17. RESISTORS
