Smart Homes: Potentials and Challenges

Smart homes with distributed clean energy are positioned as crucial elements for reducing grid demand and mitigating emissions from conventional power plants. This paper reviews the role of smart homes in energy management, detailing infrastructure components, scheduling schemes (including offline and real-time), and communication technologies such as PLC, Zigbee, Wi-Fi, RFID, and IoT. It discusses control centers, smart meters, schedulable vs. non-schedulable appliances, and various energy resources (solar, wind, biomass). The paper also evaluates energy-management systems from economic and grid-stability perspectives, outlines optimization techniques (rule-based, AI-driven, classical programming), and highlights technical challenges including harmonics, voltage imbalance, and distribution network vulnerabilities.

Smart homes with distributed clean energy are positioned as crucial elements for reducing grid demand and mitigating emissions from conventional power plants. This paper reviews the role of smart homes in energy management, detailing infrastructure components, scheduling schemes (including offline and real-time), and communication technologies such as PLC, Zigbee, Wi-Fi, RFID, and IoT. It discusses control centers, smart meters, schedulable vs. non-schedulable appliances, and various energy resources (solar, wind, biomass). The paper also evaluates energy-management systems from economic and grid-stability perspectives, outlines optimization techniques (rule-based, AI-driven, classical programming), and highlights technical challenges including harmonics, voltage imbalance, and distribution network vulnerabilities.