article · IET Generation Transmission & Distribution
Upgrading traditional electrical infrastructure to connect with modern smart grids is often restricted by high costs. A newly designed low-cost microcontroller-based remote terminal unit provides an industrial internet of things infrastructure to connect new, old, and conventional sites to smart grids. The unit features low power consumption and proper data security while incorporating digital and analogue inputs and outputs. It supports Wi-Fi connectivity alongside the RS-485 serial communication standard using the Modbus protocol, allowing diverse field devices to interface and publish data to cloud systems. This setup facilitates the addition of advanced metering infrastructure and integrates with internet of things-enabled supervisory control and data acquisition systems for remote monitoring and control. The feasibility of the infrastructure has been demonstrated through simulation alongside an existing real application across different case studies.
Modernising electricity networks is essential for reliability, but completely replacing legacy equipment is financially prohibitive for many operators. Developing affordable hardware that bridges existing grid infrastructure with digital networks allows utilities to introduce smart metering, remote monitoring, and automated control without bearing the full expense of a total network overhaul.
The architecture enables grid operators and utilities to integrate legacy distribution sites with modern smart grid systems and smart metering technologies. By offering low-cost remote monitoring and supervisory control, it addresses infrastructure retrofitting needs. Currently at the proof-of-concept stage, the system has been tested through simulations linked to an existing real application, meaning further hardware prototyping and field testing would be required prior to commercial deployment.
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Abstract Internet of Things (IoT) has recently become one of the fast‐growing technologies in the world. Integrating existing systems with smart grids still represents a significant challenge arising from the massive cost of upgrading the infrastructure. This paper provides an IoT infrastructure solution based on a newly designed low‐cost microcontroller‐based IoT remote terminal unit (RTU) to integrate new, old, and conventional sites of existing grids with smart grids. The IoT RTU supports Wi‐Fi communication and includes digital/analog inputs and outputs besides the advantage of serial data transmission standard RS‐485 as an industrial field communication (IFC). The Modbus communication protocol is utilized as a serial industrial protocol that can be interfaced over the RS‐485 standard. The advantage of having an IFC protocol integrated into the IoT infrastructure enables to link any supported device and publish the required data to the cloud, besides the ability to add smart metering technologies, which allows Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) in these areas. IoT‐enabled Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system is integrated with the proposed IoT infrastructure for its advantages of remote monitoring and control. The proposed IoT infrastructure is characterized by proper data security and low power consumption. The IoT infrastructure is simulated with an existing real application for proof of concept, and the results are discussed for different case studies.
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DOI: 10.1049/gtd2.12951
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