Smart demand-side energy management based on cellular technology - a way towards Smart Grid technologies in africa and low budget economies

The century-old power grids were not designed to meet modern requirements. The current need to use electricity more efficiently and to introduce “green” sources of energy is not well supported by existing grid technology. A particular problem is that detailed information about consumption of electricity is not provided to users and network operators. This is one of the prime reasons for electricity wastage. The “Smart Grid” concept is a solution to this problem. Smart Grid solutions at this moment in time are expensive to deploy. For developing countries it is particularly difficult to benefit from Smart Grid solutions. This paper proposes a system that can be used in developing economies as a way of reducing the consumption and wastage of electricity. The solution uses cell phones as an instrument to both display information and allow consumers to control appliances in their homes. This will be integrated into a larger Smart Grid application. The paper presents a concept that is still to be implemented and tested.