Development of DC Smart Plug Control System

Abstract

Smart plug system is an important device for the energy management in smart homes. With an increase of PV rooftop installation in the residential sector, the development of DC smart plug is necessary. The benefit of DC smart plug is that it can directly control and manage the Direct Current produced from the PV systems. In this work, the DC smart plug prototype and control system was developed with a focus on electronics, data transmission protocol, cloud system and web application. The DC smart plug was able to control DC appliances, measure power consumption with a compact sensor, transmit data between sensor networks, and display real-time data. The results from the DC smart plug evaluation revealed that the plug is efficient, affordable and safe. Smart plugs can display an energy consumption rate of the electrical appliances which could create awareness to the users with regard to their energy consumption behavior. The users can access the previous and real-time electricity consumption data