A multi-head Convolutional Neural Network based non-intrusive load monitoring algorithm under dynamic grid voltage conditions

Abstract

In recent times, non-intrusive load monitoring (NILM) has emerged as an important tool for distribution-level energy management systems owing to its potential for energy conservation and management. However, load monitoring in smart building environments is challenging due to high variability of real-time load and varied load composition. Furthermore, as the volume and dimensionality of smart meters data increases, accuracy and computational time are key concerning factors. In view of these challenges, this paper proposes an improved NILM technique using multi-head (Mh-Net) convolutional neural network (CNN) under dynamic grid voltage conditions. An attention layer is introduced into the proposed CNN model, which helps in improving estimation accuracy of appliance power consumption. The performance of the developed model has been verified on an experimental laboratory setup for multiple appliance sets with varied power consumption levels, under dynamic grid voltages. Moreover, the effectiveness of the proposed model has been verified on widely used UK-DALE data, and its performance has been compared with existing NILM techniques. Results depict that the proposed model accurately identifies appliances, power consumptions and their time-of-use even during practical dynamic grid voltage conditions.