Michael Ng, Cesar Mendoza, and Elijah Dickens

1
WIRELESS SMARTMETER FOR ENERGY MONITORING
Michael Ng, Cesar Mendoza, and Elijah Dickens
mln041000_at_utdallas.edu, cem018600_at_utdallas.edu,
ejd040100_at_utdallas.edu
Department of Electrical Engineering Erik Jonsson
School of Engineering Computer
Science University of Texas at Dallas Richardson,
Texas 75083-0688, U.S.A.
Project Proposal / Design Goals
Project Approach

• Design and simulate the main components for a
  house or building wattmeter
• Sense whether the power is being generated or
  consumed by the building and adjust net energy
  calculations accordingly
• Implement a microprocessor chip and a power
  sensor chip in the design
• Output the acquired data via uploading to the
  internet (wireless) and via LCD display on the
  meter
• Design a proper user-interface for the wattmeter
• Low-power consumption design
• Build a prototype of our designed smartmeter

Schematic of a wattmeter with wireless
implementation

• Selecting a microprocessor chip and a wattmeter
  chip to use in our design.
• Designing circuitry to determine current
  direction. (Current options multiplexers, phase
  detection) This will feed into the numerical
  calculations and tell the wattmeter to add or
  subtract.
• Designing a system to take and store data from
  the wattmeter at set intervals.
• Designing and interfacing a wireless data
  transmission system. Data can be uploaded at
  user-set times for viewing by utility companies
  and the consumers.
• Creating the user-interface for the wireless
  system and the wattmeter unit.
• Constructing our wattmeter prototype and testing
  for various energy readings.

Project Background / Research

• Current business and market trends predict a
  large increase in alternate energy sources to
  replace fossil fuel consumption for energy needs.
  On a large scale, this can be seen in large wind
  and solar farms, but on a small scale, this is
  seen in solar panels and small wind turbines on
  buildings as supplemental energy generation.
• In the future as alternate energy generation
  technology increases in efficiency and decreases
  in cost (hence, an increase in demand), there
  will be a need for accurate energy consumption
  monitoring in buildings.
• The concept of net-metering states that excess
  electrical energy generated from solar panels and
  wind turbines on buildings can be sold back to
  the utility companies and sent back to the power
  grid for consumption elsewhere.
• As this technology becomes more prevalent,
  buildings can become net energy providers instead
  of consumers and will help reduce the strain on
  fossil fuel consumption.
• Current smartmeter designs lack features such
  as data logging and wireless data transmission
  and can be quite expensive.

Expected Conclusions / Outcomes

• Will gain experience gained from using standard
  industry design and simulation tools as well as
  laboratory equipment
• Will have a fully functional two-directional
  wattmeter prototype (perhaps a scaled-down model
  due to cost) with simulated and actual readings
  of net energy over time
• Will gain experience with designing the necessary
  interfacing software