Large-Scale Internet of Things Multi-Sensor Measurement Node for Smart Grid Enhancement

Abstract

Electric power infrastructure has revolutionized our world and our way of living has completely changed. The necessary amount of energy is increasing faster than we realize. In these conditions, the grid is forced to run against its limitations, resulting in more frequent blackouts. Thus, urgent solutions need to be found to meet this greater and greater energy demand. By using the internet of things infrastructure, we can remotely manage distribution points, receiving data that can predict any future failure points on the grid. In this work, we present the design of a fully reconfigurable wireless sensor node that can sense the smart grid environment. The proposed prototype uses a modular developed hardware platform that can be easily integrated into the smart grid concept in a scalable manner and collects data using the LoRaWAN communication protocol. The designed architecture was tested for a period of 6 months, revealing the feasibility and scalability of the system, and opening new directions in the remote failure prediction of low voltage/medium voltage switchgears on the electric grid.

Multipurpose Modular Wireless Sensor for Remote Monitoring and IoT Applications

“…Overall, the utility and efficacy of our prototype during a real application were demonstrated after its comparison versus commercial monitoring systems (a wattmeter and a weather micro-station). In [ 29 , 31 , 33 ], WSn are presented, mentioning that they can be used in different application cases given that the controllers used for the DPS have multiple communication protocols and I/O ports. However, the applications in which they are used are specific, as are the devices designed, so their use in a different application would require redesign of the device.…”

“…However, the applications in which they are used are specific, as are the devices designed, so their use in a different application would require redesign of the device. With the MWSn presented in this research, this redesign is only required in the SS, so our proposal has advantages compared to works like those presented in [ 29 , 31 , 33 ].…”

“…The proposal presented in [ 29 ] offers an approach to create a module capable of connecting to various sensors communicating through analog ports, digital ports, or the I 2 C protocol. If in range, this module can connect to a LoRaWAN zone.…”

“…With these two ports, we extend the type of external modules that can be connected to the MWSn. In existing works like [ 29 , 31 , 33 ], WSn are presented, mentioning that they can be used in different application fields. However, they design the entire WSn specifically, so its use in a different application would require redesign of the entire device.…”

Massive Data Storage Solution for IoT Devices Using Blockchain Technologies

“…There have been many surveys [ 2 , 3 ] conducted regarding the usage of different blockchain applications. Areas such as healthcare [ 4 ], agriculture [ 5 ], the smart grid [ 6 ], the smart city [ 7 ], or traffic management [ 8 ] are all contributing to the rapid growth of active IoT devices, as it seeks to automate the tasks of collecting data from the environment for further processing and storage.…”