Hardware and software load power control in smart home applications based on Taguchi optimisation technique

Abstract

Power control is one of the concerns in smart grid implementation. The balance between the supplied power and the demand must be maintained so that blackouts are avoided. Smart metres play an important role in establishing this balance. On the other hand, power control implementation is a challenge as one would have to find the right mix between the hardware and the software parts. The purpose of this work is to optimise and implement a small power control system of home appliances. The objective of the optimisation is to reschedule some tasks if the power demand exceeds a certain peak level. The optimisation is based on Taguchi method which is known of its robustness and relatively fast convergence. The system casts a real life situation and can be considered as a small-scale prototype that can be extended to larger systems