Embedded Fuzzy Logic Controller and Wireless Communication for Home Energy Management Systems

• Main Authors: Aryuanto Soetedjo, Yusuf Ismail Nakhoda, Choirul Saleh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2018-09-01
• Series: Electronics
• Subjects: HEMS; fuzzy logic; automatic tuning; embedded system; wireless communication; grid connected PV
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/2079-9292/7/9/189

Energy management systems in residential areas have attracted the attention of many researchers along the deployment of smart grids, smart cities, and smart homes. This paper presents the implementation of a Home Energy Management System (HEMS) based on the fuzzy logic controller. The objective of the proposed HEMS is to minimize electricity cost by managing the energy from the photovoltaic (PV) to supply home appliances in the grid-connected PV-battery system. A fuzzy logic controller is implemented on a low-cost embedded system to achieve the objective. The fuzzy logic controller is developed by the distributed approach where each home appliance has its own fuzzy logic controller. An automatic tuning of the fuzzy membership functions using the Genetic Algorithm is developed to improve performance. To exchange data between the controllers, wireless communication based on WiFi technology is adopted. The proposed configuration provides a simple effective technology that can be implemented in residential homes. The experimental results show that the proposed system achieves a fast processing time on a ten-second basis, which is fast enough for HEMS implementation. When tested under four different scenarios, the proposed fuzzy logic controller yields an average cost reduction of 10.933% compared to the system without a fuzzy logic controller. Furthermore, by tuning the fuzzy membership functions using the genetic algorithm, the average cost reduction increases to 12.493%.