Embedded control unit design for energy management in smart homes

Abstract

This paper deals with smart home energy management through load scheduling and optimal use of available energy sources. In this study, three energy sources were considered: the national electricity grid, photovoltaic (PV) energy, and the storage unit. The PV array can provide the maximum power to the load at a given operating point where the output power changes with temperature, radiation and load. Therefore, a real-time controller is proposed to track the maximum power. An energy management algorithm has been proposed in a smart home to achieve the main goal of making the electricity bill as low as possible. The algorithm involves scheduling loads by assigning a priority to each load. The loads are supplied with the required power according to their priorities and the available energy. The obtained results indicate that supplying the PV system with a fuzzy-based MPPT indicates an increase in system efficiency. The results also showed that the use of energy management based on load scheduling led to a significant reduction in the electricity bill.