Design of a GSM-Based Smart Metering System
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Date
2012-11-20
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Abstract
The essence of using prepayment meters, in the management of power is to help improve on cash
flow, reduce credit and arrears collection costs, avoid deposits and monthly bills as well as
reconnect charges, and many more. These benefits have not been fully explored due to the nature
of many prepayment meter implementations where each customer has to disconnect his
prepayment card and send to the vender before billing and other services can be implemented.
With the spread of internet use and web based application, there is the need to focus on how
prepayment meters and utility meters can be aided to stay online. This thesis presents the design
and implementation of a Global System for Mobile communication (GSM)-Based Smart
Metering System. Embedded functionalities of PICs and GSM module are used to design a meter
which is capable of reading and storing electrical power consumptions and sends the readings
and various statuses to a server periodically or in real time for billing and report generation
purposes. Various requests and updates are also sent to the meter from the server through Short
Messaging Service (SMS), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) or both. Web based
applications such as Client Web and SMS Access as well as Management Web Access are
developed using C#, PHP and MySQL database to present both the consumers and the power
companies with the ability to interact with the meter remotely. The GSM-Based Smart Metering
System is capable of providing the power companies and the consumers the full benefit of the
Prepayment Metering Systems as well as an enhancement of the Post-payment Metering Systems
in Ghana. Remote control and other capabilities of the system are tested with the prototype
GSM-Based Smart Meter connected to a normal household load. Full control of the meter is
achieved and a granular consumption details are obtained and log of all metering activities registered on the Database Server.
Description
A Thesis Submitted to the Department of Computer Engineering,
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Of
Master of Philosophy (Mphil), November-2012