IoT Energy Management System Based on a Wireless Sensor/Actuator Network

The use of DC microgrids (DC-µGs) offers a variety of environmental benefits; albeit, a successful implementation depends on the implementation of an Energy Management System (EMS). An EMS is broadly implemented with a hierarchical and centralized structure, where the communications layer presents as a key element of the system to achieve a successful operation. Additionally, the relatively low cost of wireless communication technologies and the advantages offered by remote monitoring have promoted the inclusion of the Internet of Things (IoT) and Wireless Sensor and Actuator Network (WSAN) technologies in the energy sector. In this article is presented the development of an IoT EMS based on a WSAN (IoT-EMS-WSAN) for the management of a DC-µG. The proposed EMS is composed of a WiFi-based WSAN that is interconnected to a DC-µG, a cloud server, and a User Web App. The proposed system was compared to a conventional EMS with a high latency wired communication layer. In comparison to the conventional EMS, the IoT-EMS-WSAN increased the updating time from 100 ms to 1200 ms; also, the bus of the DC-µG maintained its stability even though its variations increased; finally, the DC bus responded to an energy-outage scenario with a recovery time of 1 s instead of 150 ms, as seen with the conventional EMS. Despite the reduced latency, the developed IoT-EMS-WSAN was demonstrated to be a reliable tool for the management, monitoring, and remote controlling of a DC-µG.