IoT-enabled Smart Energy Management Device for Optimal Scheduling of Distributed Energy Resources

Abstract

In this paper, a robust Internet-of-Thing (IoT) enabled Smart Energy Management Device (SEMD) is developed for Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) equipped energy consumers. The SEMD communicates with the existing metering infrastructure through serial communication using the Modbus RTU protocol and the RS 485 communication standard. The SEMD’s energy management framework comprises three sequentially operated software modules, viz., data preprocessing, forecasting, and an optimization module, which aims to minimize the energy costs of end consumers. The software and hardware architecture of the developed SEMD is robust enough to fit real-time implementation and makes it user-friendly. The effectiveness of the SEMD has been tested on an experimental test rig at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar. The demonstration test rig comprises two DERs equipped energy consumers (viz. Energy consumer-A & B). Energy consumer-A comprises a roof-top solar PV system, Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), and conventional flexible/non-flexible household appliances. The Energy consumer-B consists of Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) enabled Electric Vehicle (EV), lighting, and pump loads. The experimental results obtained in this work demonstrate that using SEMD satisfies all technical constraints and benefits consumers in reducing bill payments. Thus, SEMD is a critical enabler for DER-equipped energy consumers to participate actively in various demand-side energy management programs.