Smart energy meter based on a long-range wide-area network for a stand-alone photovoltaic system

• Published in: Expert systems with applications 2022-07, Vol.197, p.116703, Article 116703
• Main Authors: Jabbar, Waheb A., Annathurai, Sanmathy, A. Rahim, Tajul Ariffin, Mohd Fauzi, M. Fitri
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Algorithms; AllThingsTalkMaker; Applications programs; Computer networks; Energy consumption; Frequencies; Gateways; Internet of Things; LoRa, LoRaWAN; Luminous intensity; Microcontrollers; Mobile computing; Payloads; Photovoltaic cells; PV System; Real time; Sensors; Smart Energy Meter; Smartphones; TTN; User interfaces; Websites; Wide area networks
• ISSN: 0957-4174; 1873-6793
• DOI: 10.1016/j.eswa.2022.116703

[Display omitted] •IoT-based smart energy meter with LoRaWAN support has been developed for PV systems.•A new algorithm for gathering data from multi-sensors of the LoRa node is proposed.•Energy consumption with PV conditions is updated in real-time to the TTN cloud.•GUI is developed over the ATTM platform for data accessibility by utilities/users.•Our smart energy meter is implemented and validated using a portable PV system. Long-range wide-area network (LoRaWAN) has emerged as a key technology for Internet of Things (IoT) applications worldwide owing to its cost-effectiveness, robustness to interference, low power, licensed-free frequency band, and long-range connectivity, thanks to the adaptive data rate. In this contribution, an IoT-enabled smart energy meter based on LoRaWAN technology (SEM-LoRaWAN) is developed to measure the energy consumption for a photovoltaic (PV) system and send real-time data to the utility/consumers over the Internet for billing/monitoring purposes. The proposed SEM-LoRaWAN is implemented in a PV system to monitor related parameters (i.e., voltage, current, power, energy, light intensity, temperature, and humidity) and update this information to the cloud. A LoRa shield is attached to an Arduino microcontroller with several sensors to gather the required information and send it to a LoRaWAN gateway. We also propose an algorithm to compose data from multiple sensors as payloads and upload these data using the gateway to The Things Network (TTN). The AllThingsTalkMaker IoT server is integrated into the TTN to be accessed using Web/mobile application interfaces. System-level tests are conducted using a fabricated testbed and connected to a solar panel to prove the SEM-LoRaWAN effectiveness in terms of functionality, simplicity, reliability, and cost. The connectivity between the system and users is achieved using smartphones/laptops. Results demonstrate a smooth system operation with detailed and accurate measurements of electrical usage and PV environmental conditions in real-time.