This document presents the concept of a wireless power theft monitoring system to address the problem of power theft in Uganda. Power theft results in significant financial losses for utility providers annually. The proposed system would detect power theft using current sensors before and after the meter to compare voltages and detect discrepancies. If theft is detected, power would be disconnected and a message sent via GSM to notify authorities. The document outlines the types of power losses, methods of theft, details of the prototype designed and tested, and concludes that implementing such a system could help reduce losses from theft.

1. Conceptualization of a wireless power theft monitoring
system: A case for theft using a jumper cable
Mugume Marvin #1
, Richard Okou*2
, Kigongo Nunda Yekosofat#3
#
Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Makerere University
Kampala, Uganda
1
mugumemarvin@gmail.com
3
kigongoyekosofat@yahoo.com
*
Makerere University
Kampala, Uganda
2
rokou@cedat.mak.ac.ug
Abstract—This paper presents a concept for a wireless power
theft monitoring system, specifically for power theft by use of a
jumper cable. Power theft is a growing vice in Uganda and it
costs utility providers a lot of money annually. The consideration
to design a wireless power theft monitoring system is to aid in the
curtailing of the growing vice, which is power theft. A concept of
a wireless power theft monitoring system was designed and
prototyped. Its function was to sense, disconnect and
communicate the power theft.
Index terms—Uganda Electricity board (UEB), Uganda
Electricity Generation Company Ltd (UEGCL), Uganda
Electricity Transmission Company Ltd (UETCL), Uganda
Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (UEDCL), Short Message
Service (SMS), Server Identity Module (SIM), Global System for
Mobile Communications (GSM)
INTRODUCTION
Power theft is the use of electrical power without a contract with a
supplier or interfering with a system so as to adulterate its
measurements [1].
Previously the power distribution network in Uganda faced energy
losses of about 30% annually according to Umeme Limited. Presently
the losses have been reduced to 25% [2]. But of this, theft singularly
accounts for the largest portion.
Power theft is a serious vice and it’s among the major challenges that
the major power distribution company in Uganda, Umeme faces. It
loses billions of shillings annually (approximately shs 76billion) in
energy losses due to power theft [3].
To counter these losses, prices are increased and therefore, it is the
law abiding citizen who ends up paying dearly for these losses. It can
also lead to frequent power outages due to lack of funds by the
Electricity company to import power equipment like transformers to
augment the demands of electrical power to both domestic and
industrial consumers.
Electricity theft is closely related to governance indicators where
higher levels are recorded in countries without effective
accountability, political instability, low government effectiveness and
high levels of corruption [4].
OVERVIEW OF THE ELECTRICITY SECTOR IN
UGANDA
In 2001, the UEB was unbundled and three companies created and
registered, namely: The Uganda Electricity Generation Company Ltd;
The Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Ltd; and, The
Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (UEDCL). Currently
the electricity distribution system is managed and operated by
UMEME, a distribution company in Uganda, under a 20-year
concession agreement signed in May 2004 with UEDCL.
A sketch of the electric power generation, transmission and
distribution network in Uganda is shown in figure 1.
ANALYSIS OF LOSSES IN POWER SYSTEMS
Losses occur at all levels, from generation, through transmission and
distribution, to the consumer and the meter. It is normally at the
distribution level where the majority of avoidable losses occur. All
electrical power distribution companies operate with some accepted
degree of losses. This is no different from the scenario in Uganda.
Losses incurred in electrical power systems have two components:
 Technical losses
 Non-technical losses (commercial losses)
Technical losses
Technical losses will always arise as the physics of electricity
transport means that, no power system can be perfect in its delivery
of energy to the end customer. Technical losses are naturally
occurring losses (caused by actions internal to the power system) and
consist mainly of power dissipation in electrical system components
such as transmission lines, power transformers, measurement
systems, etc [4].
Technical losses of a power system can be computed provided certain
quantities such as resistance, reactance, capacitance, voltage, current
and power are known. These are routinely calculated by utility
companies so as to quantify which components will be added to the

2. power system. Loads are not included in the losses because they are actually intended to receive as much energy as possible.
Figure 1: Electric power generation, transmission and distribution network in Uganda
Technical losses in power systems are caused by the physical
properties of the components of power systems. Example, I2
R loss or
copper loss in the conductor cables, transformers, switches and
generators [4].
The instantaneous power loss, 𝑃𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑠(𝑡) in a transmission line can be
expressed as:
𝑃𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑠(𝑡) = 𝑃𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑐𝑒(𝑡) – 𝑃𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑(𝑡) 1
Where 𝑃𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑐𝑒(𝑡) is the instantaneous power that the source
injects into the transmission line and 𝑃𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑(𝑡) is the instantaneous
power that the load consumes at the load end of the transmission line.
Therefore the energy loss, 𝑊𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑠, is given by;
𝑊𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑠 = ∫ 𝑃𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑠(𝑡)𝑑𝑡
𝑏
𝑎
2
Where a and b are respectively the starting point and ending
point of the time interval being evaluated.
Non-technical losses
These losses are independent of the technical losses of a system.
Examples of these losses include [4, 5];
i. Losses of equipment struck by lightning
ii. Equipment damaged by time and neglect
iii. Non-payment of bills by customers
iv. Errors in accounting and record keeping that distort
technical information.
DANGERS OF POWER THEFT
Power theft carries deadly risks. Many thieves pay for the power they
steal with their lives. Electricity theft is not just dangerous for those
who steal. . If you are on the same power line as someone who steals
electricity, you could pay the cost for their theft too. The power line
could become overloaded with electric energy, which could harm
your electronics and appliances that are designed to receive a certain,
steady amount of electricity. Electricity theft makes power service
less reliable and lower quality for paying customers [6].
METHODS OF POWER THEFT
The various methods of power theft can be categorized as follows [7,
8];
 Connection to supply without a meter. This is normally done
following the disconnection for nonpayment of bills.
 Bypassing the meter with a cable. This basically short circuits the
meter such that the units consumed are not metered.
 Interfering with the meter such that it slows down or stops. This
is done by using electrical devices which stop the disc from
rotating or slow it down.
 Interfering with the timing control
METHODOLOGY FOR THEFT DETECTION
The method includes continuously sampling voltages converted by
the current sensors before and just after the meter. The difference in
these voltages is compared with a predetermined amount (threshold
voltage), above which, power theft is said to have occurred. The
consumer is then disconnected and communication to the concerned
authority takes place. The method also includes remote reconnection
of the consumer. The block diagram of the system is shown in the
figure below [9, 10, 11, 12].
Figure 2: Block diagram of the system

3. Mathematical modeling of the theft case Algorithm
In this paper, the backtracking algorithm is used for analysis.
Backtracking is a refinement of the brute force approach, which
systematically searches for a solution to a problem among all
available options. Backtracking algorithms are distinguished by the
way in which the space of possible solutions is explored. Sometimes
a backtracking algorithm can detect that an exhaustive search is
unnecessary and, therefore, it performs much better. Figure 3 will be
used for generating the necessary algorithms [4].
Figure 3: Block Diagram of the Comparison Unit
The power, P, of an electrical system is given by;
P = IVcosθ 3
And the instantaneous current is also given by;
I(t) = Imsin(ωt ± ɸ) 4
Let I1(t) = I1msin(ωt ± ɸ) be the input current to the meter and let
I2(t) = I2msin(ωt ± ɸ) be the output current to the meter. Assuming
that the internal circuitry of the meter is purely resistive, then the
corresponding input and output voltage relations are
V1(t) = V1m sin(ωt ± ɸ) and V2(t) = V2m sin(ωt ± ɸ) respectively and
these form the input signals of the comparator. Therefore the out
signal from the comparator V0 is given by [4];
V0 = A(V2 – V1) 5
And as such;
V0 = A{[ V2m sin(ωt ± ɸ)] – [V1m sin(ωt ± ɸ)]} 6
V0 = A{[ V2m sin(ωt + ɸ)] – [V1m sin(ωt + ɸ)]}
= A(V2m – V1m) sin(ωt + ɸ) 7
V0 = A{[ V2m sin(ωt + ɸ)] – [V1m sin(ωt – ɸ)]} 8
V0 = A{[ V2m sin(ωt – ɸ)] – [V1m sin(ωt + ɸ)]} 9
V0 = A{[ V2m sin(ωt – ɸ)] – [V1m sin(ωt – ɸ)]}
= A(V2m – V1m) sin(ωt – ɸ) 10
Either Equations 7 or 10 could be used for the comparison because
for a purely resistive circuit, the phase will remain the same at both
the input and the output. Consequently, if the amplitude difference
V2m – V1m exceeds a predetermined amount, then power theft has
occurred.
When the mains is switched on, the input (supply) and output signals
(just after the meter) of the kilowatt-hour meter are compared by the
netduino to check for any discrepancies. When there is no
discrepancy recorded, the green LED at the consumer unit turns ON
and the system continues to run normally until a discrepancy occurs.
Upon detection of a discrepancy, a red LED at the consumer unit
turns ON. Power supply to the consumer is cut off and an SMS
message that includes the meter number, owner of the meter as well
as location of the meter is sent through GSM communication to the
area manager at the substation [13, 14].
In case the power theft issue is dealt with, power supply to the
consumer is restored remotely from the substation by calling the
Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) card number of the GSM
module within the system at the consumer side which signals the
whole system to reset and start over again. The flowchart in the
figure below summarises how the system operates;
Figure 4: System flow chart
When the meter is bypassed using a jumper cable, the difference in
the generated voltages form the current sensors is greater than the
power theft threshold and supply to the consumer is cut off. This is
because bypassing the meter also bypasses the second current sensor
so it senses zero current hence the difference in generated voltages
will definitely be greater than the power theft threshold since the
other current sensor is at the pole via the mains supply. The threshold
is 0.04V and was obtained after a series of tests.
The figure below shows what the prototype that was designed, built
and tested.

4. Figure 5: Protoype
CONCLUSION
Power theft is the most common cause of commercial losses to utility
providers. This prototype was successfully built and tested and if
implemented can strengthen the fight against the growing vice that is
power theft. With the reduction of power theft, losses incurred by the
utility provider are reduced and hence the unit price of electricity is
reduced. The reduction in the unit price therefore improves the
standard of living in the country as more people can afford electricity.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Listed below are a few recommendations;
 The circuit should be suspended at the pole to avoid
tampering by the consumer
 The prototype is somewhat bulky; and uninviting however
with more research and funding, it can be packaged as a
smaller product to be implemented on a large scale
REFERENCES
[1] M. H. Faeq Azim and S. Samdani, Electricity Theft A major issue
in the power industry., 2012.
[2] S. Ilungole, "Umeme to reduce electricity theft by 14%," Umeme
Limited, Kampala, 2013.
[3] The Observer, "The observer," 19 August 2013. [Online].
Available:
http://www.observer.ug/index.php?option=com_content&view=ar
ticle&id=28679:uganda-loses-shs-76bn-annually-to-power-
theft&catid=38:business. [Accessed 02 June 2014].
[4] J. C. A. Solomon Nunoo, "A methodolgy for the design of an
electricity theft monitoring system.," Little Lion Scientific R & D,
Tarkwa, Ghana, 2011.

5. [5] S. S. R. V. S. R. Vrushall V.Jadhav, "Wireless power theft
detection," international journal of electronics, communication
and soft computing science engineering, 2012.
[6] "Paying the price of power theft," Safe Electricity, [Online].
Available: http://www.safeelectricity.org/information-
center/library-of-articles/57-meter-tampering/124-paying-the-
price-of-power-theft. [Accessed 16 August 2014].
[7] J. Rukundo, "Power theft monitoring sytem," Makerere
University, Kampala, 2012.
[8] S. S. S. R. Depuru, "Modeling, Detection, and Prevention of
Electricity Theft for Enhanced Performance and Security of
Power Grid," Toledo university, 2012.
[9] N. S. A. S. Amar Pawade, "Power theft detection using a wireless
system," international Journal of student research in technology
and management, vol. I, pp. 58-64, 2010.
[10] J. Tondo, "Design of a system to reduce on distribution
transformer vandalism," Makerere University, Kampala, 2011.
[11] M. Gloria, "Design of power theft monitoring system," Makerere
University, Kampala, 2012.
[12] "Micocontroller based power theft identifier," 2006. [Online].
Available:
http://soujanyamasna.tripod.com/microcontrollerproject.html.
[Accessed 24 August 2014].
[13] Sooxma technologies, "Wireless power theft monitoring system,"
My college project, 2009.
[14] G. P. K. P. Sagar patil, "Electrical power theft detection and
wireless meter reading," International Journal of Innovative
Research in Science, Engineering and Technology, vol. II, no. 4,
2013.
BIOGRAPHIES
Mugume Marvin completed a B.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering
from the College of Engineering, Design and Art Technology of
Makerere University in June 2014. He is currently working with
Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) dealing with street
lighting and Electrical installations.
Kigongo Nunda Yekosofat completed a B.Sc. degree in Electrical
Engineering from the College of Engineering, Design and Art
Technology of Makerere University in June 2014.