Design and Implementation of a Microcontroller Based Wireless Energy Meter

Abstract

Efficient use of energy becomes more crucial when increase in the cost of energy is observed. Since energy management is required to define the amount of consumed energy in a specific period of time, utilization of Energy Meters is essential. It is possible to measure the consumed energy by using a simple energy meter. But sometimes the limited functionality of these meters restricts their area of application; especially in inaccessible positions or in the situations where visibility of the meter is poor, it is not possible to use such an appliance. A possible solution is a Wireless Energy Meter (WEM) which is able to send its data via wireless communication to a PC where monitoring and analysis of the data will be easily made. This measurement system is aimed to be used in measuring energy related quantities of transformers and high voltage towers at remote locations. This document describes the design and implementation of a digital Wireless Energy Meter (WEM) based on AVR microcontroller. Calculation of the phase difference between current and voltage using Zero Cross Detection capability of the microcontroller is a distinct feature of this project. Hall Effect Sensor is used to measure the current signal and a resistive voltage divider is used to measure the voltage.