Power outage reporting tool with mobile app

Traditionally, outage reporting has been performed by affected consumers manually calling operators; an inefficient process that extends response and restoration times. A modern approach to outage reporting is needed to ensure continuity of supply to consumers. This paper documents a power outage reporting tool developed, tested and implemented on a localized area at The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus. This project repurposes legacy Uninterruptable Power Supply units to an Internet of Things device, develops a current metering unit using a Raspberry Pi with Hall Effect current sensors as well as an android mobile phone app to provide engineers with alerts and monitoring capabilities. The designs of each component are provided, discussed and limitations outlined with the possibilities of integrating the Internet of Things concept with Smart Grid infrastructures being previewed.