Smart metering: A GSM approach in Ghana

The essence of using prepayment meters, in the management of power is to help improve on cash flow, reduce credit and arrears collection costs, avoid deposits and monthly bills as well as reconnect charges, and many more. These benefits have not been fully explored due to the nature of many prepayment meter implementations where each customer has to disconnect his prepayment card and send to the vender before billing and other services can be implemented. With the spread of internet use and hence, web based application, there is the need to focus on how prepayment meters and utility meters can be aided to stay online. This paper presents the design and implementation of a GSM Based Smart Meter system design project. Embedded functionalities of PICs and GSM module was used to design a meter which is capable of reading and storing electrical power consumptions and sends the readings and various statuses to a central database server periodically or in real time for billing and report generation purposes. Various requests and updates are also sent to the meter from the server. Web based applications such as Web Client; Monitoring and Control applications were developed to present both the consumers and the power companies with the ability to interact with the meter remotely. The GSM Based Smart metering system will provide the power companies and the consumers the full benefit of the Prepayment Metering Systems as well as an enhancement of the Post-payment Metering Systems in Ghana.