Smart Metering System Design and Field Validation for Electricity Theft Detection

Abstract

Electricity is one of the basic supports required for human existence in our modern society. It is required for the existence of different sectors of modern development. Electricity supply needs to be secured, reliable and sustainable for any anticipated socioeconomic development. Electricity theft is a serious problem for utility companies, especially in underdeveloped countries, where it leads to financial losses, inefficient technology, and safety risks. In Nigeria, like other developing countries such as India, there has been some documented and published evidence of electricity theft. Numerous efforts have also been put forward to combat electricity theft among the scientific communities and energy experts. One of such is the deployment of Smart Energy Metering Infrastructure (SEMI). A SEMI uses a wireless communication protocol with an integrated electronic system with the capability to measure the amount of electricity consumed and possibly detect electricity theft via automated actions. Therefore, this study presents the design and implementation of a smart meter system through the use of an Arduino microcontroller, a voltage sensor, a current sensor, and a relay for the evaluation of energy consumption and tamper detection by sending a Short Message Service (SMS) to the utility company and the electricity users. The study further embarks on field experimentation for the testing of the functionality of the realized electronic device to determine its functional efficacy.