Energija, Vol. 75 No. 2, 2026.
Izvorni znanstveni članak
https://doi.org/10.37798/2026752746
Empowering Smart Grids: An IoT and LoRa-Based Approach for Energy Monitoring and Theft Detection
Raja Larik
orcid.org/0000-0001-7835-6830
; Department of Electrical Engineering NED UET Sindh Pakistan
*
Samandar Khan Afridi
; Department of Electrical Engineering NED UET Sindh Pakistan
Zeeshan Ahmad Arfeen
; Department of Electrical Engineering NED UET Sindh Pakistan
Tuseef Ahmed Khan
; Department of Electrical Engineering NED UET Sindh Pakistan
* Dopisni autor.
Sažetak
Electricity use keeps climbing and power theft is one of those problems utilities can’t ignore anymore. It doesn’t just cut into revenue; it also loads the network in weird, unpredictable ways, which can mean more losses, hotter lines and sometimes outages. So, yeah—utilities and governments are pushed to treat it like a priority. This project builds an IoT, LoRa-based theft detection system that watches consumption in real time and flags suspicious use. It runs on two ESP32s, two SCT013B current sensors, a ZMPT101B voltage sensor and LoRa modules, split into two parts: a Pole Side Setup and a Home Side Setup (Rx). The pole unit (ESP32 + SCT013B + LoRa) sits on the distribution pole, measures line current and sends it wirelessly. The home unit (ESP32 + SCT013B + ZMPT101B + LoRa) measures local current and voltage, then compares its readings with the pole’s current to spot mismatches that could mean theft—like when the pole current is noticeably higher than what the home side “claims.” When that happens, the system records the event and pushes the details to a Google Spreadsheet so staff can track alerts and patterns without digging through manual reports. LoRa helps here because it can cover long distances with low power, which is practical for rural feeders where running cables or reliable internet is a headache. That said, it won’t magically catch every scenario (shared loads and wiring quirks can get messy), but it does cut down inspections and makes monitoring faster. Later upgrades could focus on stronger security, tighter integration with smart meters and wider deployment. It is a scalable, fairly low-cost way to reduce theft and improve distribution control.
Ključne riječi
ESP32 microcontroller; Internet of Things (IoT); LoRa communication; Smart energy metering; Voltage sensor; Current transformer; Power theft detection; Real-time monitoring
Hrčak ID:
350064
URI
Datum izdavanja:
15.6.2026.
Posjeta: 0 *