SMART GRID TEST BED BASED ON GSM

Modern world demands for more and more electric power, but there is a limit for which nature can provide us. In order to meet the growing demand for energy, we need to find new resources and allocate them efficiently. This is where the concept of smart grid comes into picture. Smart grid consists of a power grid with both renewable and non renewable sources of energy like thermal, hydro, wind turbines and nuclear reactors. It is the duty of the smart grid to reduce losses, and thereby meet the demand in a more efficient way. Smart grid will be an automated grid, which can route the power from different generating stations based on the demand schedule. The evolution into the smart grid is not an easy task. It needs innovation in various aspects like real time demand scheduling, fault detection and self healing. Smart grid will have a sophisticated information network, which is separate from the power lines. This paper presents a smart grid test bed based on GSM technology which is capable of load management, fault detection and self healing. The test bed system consists of automated power switches, smart meters, energy sources and load. The communication for the system is achieved through GSM modules. This test bed will allow the implementation of various protocols and methodologies, which could be used for researching the problems in smart grid.