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The increase in electricity consumption coupled with the lack of a convenient way to assist the consumers to lower their electricity consumption is a growing concern. Smart internet of things (IoT)-based devices has been developed in this regard. However, no specific standards were followed, and this is a problem for the consumer as they have to own different smart device from different brands which results in higher cost. To solve these issues, a smart power switch using IoT is proposed. The system consists of microcontroller (ESP32), relay and current sensor (ACS712). The ACS712 measures the current of the appliance. The ESP32 then send these readings to server. Whenever the ESP32 receives switching commands from the cloud platform, ESP32 will activate the relay and hence switching the appliance. The cloud platform is linux based virtual private server (VPS) running on Django Python and structured query language (SQL) ite database. The mobile application built using flutter to allow both iOS and android users to use the app to control and monitor the normal appliances. The server, circuit and mobile application have showed a real-time data exchange, fast response, numerical, graphical consumption presentation and capable of setting energy or power limit for the appliance to not exceed.

Earthing systems play an essential role in electrical systems in terms of safety for people in the vicinity against the hazard of electric shocks as well as protection and proper operation of equipment during the incidence of faults. Both are achieved by providing a low-impedance path that can dissipate fault currents to the conductive mass of Earth. One of the first steps in the design of an earthing system is estimating the total resistance to earth and determining the proper size and basic layout of the earth electrode required. Engineers must design adequate earthing systems that comply with international standards and national regulations, which in fact incorporate a variety of earthing methods and various formulae to obtain the design parameters, especially the earthing resistance. The effects of using the varied formulae for each earthing technique are ambiguous and entail considerable risks, and thus require comprehensive compilations and critical examinations. This paper reviews many of the earthing design formulae available in widely used international standards and published scientific papers for a comparative analysis of their differences. The results of a rigorous survey for each earthing type, based on respective electrical resistances’ calculations evaluated for a specified range of resistivities, are presented in line graphs to show precise trends. A recommended list of the most conservative formulae from a safety perspective, based on the results obtained, is outlined as a basis for computing the earthing resistance for designing effective earthing systems. This provides a beneficial compact reference to facilitate the revision and provision of international earthing standards agreement.

In developing countries like India, most of the low voltage distribution lines feeder are connected via overhead power lines. Such distribution systems, including radical type and low voltage Interconnected networks, face difficulties in fault detection and localization as compared with high voltage transmission systems. One such fault is the broken conductor of live wires, which could cause high impedance current to flow on the ground or object. These faults usually produce very low fault currents, due to low voltage or dry areas, that are usually not detectable by the feeder conventional over-current protection schemes or by the HIF fault detector. As a result, fault detection in Low voltage (LV) overhead lines, due to open (or broken) conductors, is the most challenging problem in interconnected networks as compared to radical feeders. The aim of this paper is to identify a new method to detect such broken conductors in interconnected LV distribution and correctly automates the circuit breaker during faults. The proposed broken conductor fault detection method judges fault based on multiple information to increase accuracy and reliability of trip signal. The trip signal, based on the calculated measurements from the fault finding devices, will be provided to the circuit breaker. Finally, the proposed intelligent electronic devices installed at the bus Circuit Breaker Validates the trip signal before the power completely goes off. Several test cases were simulated to demonstrate the effective results.

Introduction: Malaysia is one of the countries with the highest lightning flash density globally. While sufficiency of lightning protection system is crucial to ensure human safety against lightning strikes, the public awareness towards lightning safety is also equally important in Malaysia. Hence, this study was conducted to understand the current lightning safety awareness level of the Malaysian population. Methods: An online questionnaire survey which consists of 22 scientific statements of lightning was first developed in Malay and English. The questionnaire allows the respondent to also check their own score upon completion of the questionnaire. It was then distributed to the public for data collection. The sample size comprised of both genders, all layers of society from various educational level and social background. Results: Overall, the awareness on lightning safety amongst Malaysian is at moderate level with an average score of slightly above 50%. Urbanites scored marginally better than their rural counterparts. One’s education level does not dictate their awareness level of lightning safety. Discussion: In conclusion, the public in Malaysia needs to be better educated on lightning safety. Similar studies should be replicated in other countries experiencing similar levels of lightning activity to better understand the public’s perception on lightning.

Electrical engineers often find the process of designing the earthing system of substations to be tedious, arduous and time consuming. Mobile apps development and usage has been on the rise of late due to the high availability of smart phones and Internet of Things. In terms of electrical earthing system design, there are very few applications available which are neither helpful nor informative. Hence, this paper outlines the development of a mobile application which is able to assist and ease electrical engineers’ design process. Functionality and validity of the app has been verified by comparing calculations obtained manually and by the app. Hence, this app can be used for the design and verification of an earthing system.

Malaysia is rapidly expanding the generation capacity of solar power through large scale solar (LSS) projects with the aim to achieve 20% renewable energy mix by 2025. This has motivated many solar industry players to explore the usage of solar PV with single axis tracker (SAT) system. However, many are still hesitant due to the lack of understanding on the comparative performance between fixed mounted solar PV with solar PV with SAT system. This paper aims to provide a comparative analysis on the performance of both systems. Simulation using PVSyst 6.83 was performed in five potential LSS sites spread across Peninsular Malaysia in Perlis, Kelantan, Pahang, Selangor and Johor with the same installed capacity of 10.32MWp. The energy yield and capacity factor for 21 years were simulated. On the average, it was found that SAT outperforms fixed mounted solar PV system by 15.08% based on their performance on their first year operation.

In sites with high soil resistivity such as deserts and mountainous terrains, designing and installing an effective grounding system is a challenging task. Therefore introduction of Bentonite into concrete mix of Ufer grounding at various proportions was done in a previous study and its steady state ground resistance performance was investigated. In that study, itwas found that 30% Bentonite-concrete mix is the optimum compound which yields the lowest average ground resistance with the least fluctuation as well. Subsequent study at site with high soil resistivity found that its performance is among the best compared with several conventional setups. In current work, such mix and the standard concrete mix were installed in five sites with varying soil resistivity to determine the correlation between ground resistance and localized soil resistivity. These correlations serve as a guide for future applications by engineers in designing grounding system using the best mix.

MS IEC 62305: Protection Against Lightning standard serves as the main reference for lightning risk assessment and lightning protection design and installation in Malaysia. Lightning risk assessment is complex and complicated to be used manually. A computer tool or software could simplify the work in lightning risk assessment. A template was developed in Microsoft Excel for lightning risk assessment. The development focused on features such as userfriendly interface, multiple zone and service calculation capability, comprehensive, informative, and able to suggest protection measures. All calculations and parameters for risk calculation were identified from MS IEC 62305-2: Risk Management. The calculations and interactive user interface were made using Excel’s built in functions and coding in VBA. The template was validated through comparison of results between the template, MS IEC 62305-2, and other software such as SIRAC and RISK in three different case studies. In all three case studies, the template achieves results similar to the results in IEC 62305-2.

One of the challenges faced by engineering educators in the twenty-first century is delivering content heavy and discipline-specific modules to students with ever-shortening attention span. This paper argues that incorporating humour in teaching may be more effective than the traditionally didactic nature of teaching and learning in the engineering discipline. Yet, instructional humour in engineering education is a field that is still relatively unexplored compared to other fields of education. In this study, a review on the theories supporting the foundation of humour will be outlined. Types of humour deemed applicable in the context of delivery for engineering courses are then identified and discussed in relation to issues concerning humour in teaching. This paper will also discuss the preliminary findings from a study conducted to understand engineering lecturers’ perceptions towards application of humour in their instructional delivery. It is concluded that a basic humour engagement scale could be adopted to enable lecturers in conducting self-assessments on the incorporation of humour in their instructional delivery.

Service learning has picked up momentum in the engineering education field over the past decade due to its two pronged benefits to the students’ learning experience as well as to the community. While it is usually embedded within the curriculum in terms of execution, the Taylor’s Grand Challenge Scholars Programme (TGCSP) runs it in parallel with formal curriculum. TGCSP was developed to nurture holistic engineers capable of addressing the grand challenges defined by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), USA, which stand in the way for humankind’s survival of the next century. Service learning is the fifth programme outcome (GCPO5) of TGCSP which scholars must attain in order for them to be able to graduate with TGCSP certification which is endorsed by NAE. This paper outlines the structure of implementation and assessment of GCPO5. In addition, the scholars’ perception on how their journey towards attainment of GCPO5 has impacted their learning experience will also be discoursed.

Practical challenges of electrical earthing in both steady and transient states have been revisited. By analyzing the cases based on theoretical and practical aspects, engineering guidelines are proposed to develop suitable solutions. Less complicated cases can be approached with various electrode configurations such as multiple ring, antenna, crow-foot and centipede arrangements. Distributed earthing arrangements treated with backfill materials are suitable for the sites with extremely high resistive soil. Clay based backfill materials such as bentonite-mix give corrosion and erosion protection for the electrodes in highly acidic, alkaline, saline and sulfur-rich environments apart from reducing the low frequency resistance. On-rock sites such as transmission and communication towers are better approached with concrete-based earthing systems in both cases of power and lightning protection earthing. Extreme cases of soil instability have been identified and discussed. The suitability of vertical and horizontal electrode components as well as copper and steel electrodes under various soil conditions is also discoursed. For most cases, we recommend all types of earthing systems to be integrated, however, properly coordinated system of Surge Protective Devices (SPDs) should be incorporated in such integrated earthing system.

The final-year project (FYP) is considered to be one of the most important learning experiences in an engineering undergraduate education. It is mandated by engineering accreditation bodies worldwide as a compulsory module in the engineering curriculum. For most fresh graduate engineers, their final-year project experience will be the most vivid of all their recent memories when they recall their engineering education experience. This is due to the immense challenge the students face by undertaking for the very first time an individual, highly complex, open-ended research work with tight deadlines to meet and high expectations to attain on their own, albeit under the guidance of their supervisors. As such the FYPs’ delivery and assessment process offer strategic opportunities for engineering educators to add value to an undergraduate engineer’s training provided that it is designed and implemented with a clear intent. This paper documents the assessment approach adopted by School of Engineering, Taylor’s University, for the FYP module which is divided into the FYP1 and FYP2 modules covering two semesters. This assessment process is distinct from the practices at many other equivalent institutions in that it has as much as 6 assessment components for each module, assessors other than the supervisor contribute the bulk of the marks, timely feedback from assessors to students is fully integrated into the assessment process to facilitate learning and students are required to participate in a research conference which is also made into one of the assessment components. For this undergraduate conference, the students’ FYP research papers are reviewed by external reviewers from other universities and assessed and awarded marks by them. A detailed description of each assessment component followed by an evaluation of how each assessment component adds value to the students’ learning for both the FYP1 and FYP2 modules is discussed.

Metallic part would play an influential role in the case of probability of lightning strikes. An experimental study has been done to find out the effect of the presence of floating electrode on the body during thunderstorm. Although, it is clear that a small metal part on the body or in vicinity does not have effect during direct strike, the effects has been examined only in the case of side flashing. SPSS has been used to check the statistical significance of the probability. According to the result, floating electrode may shorten the gap distance of the struck point and a human body thus increasing the probability of lightning side flashing. The test has been done covered floating electrode (insulated) as well. Thus, it is recommended to either remove or isolate the metal parts during thunderstorm.

The value of soil resistivity is an essential pre-requisite in designing an electrical grounding system. The current practice, as advocated even by national/international standards involves taking the average soil resistivity of the site as the parameter to be considered in designing the grounding system. This study shows that average soil resistivity may lead to significant overestimation or underestimation in the designing process as the localized soil resistivity may significantly differ from the average soil resistivity of the entire site. At least 14% difference between average and localized soil resistivity were obtained base on measurements done on five locations. Therefore, it is suggested that electrical engineers who design grounding systems should first identify the locations where the components of the grounding systems will be installed. Then, the localized soil resistivity at that particular point should be measured and the sizing and geometry of the grounding electrode should be designed accordingly.

Effects of surrounding environment of grounding electrode locations on the performance of overall grounding system has been studied. Copper rods were buried at 25 different locations with various environmental settings and their respective variations in grounding resistance were monitored for up to 4 months. It was found that there is a clear dependence of grounding resistance on the condition of surrounding environment, in addition to the average soil resistivity. Installation of grounding electrodes near running waterways, huge trees as well as slopes should be avoided wherever possible as the ground resistance of electrodes in such environments may fluctuate significantly with time.

Earth resistance of buried steel cages, encased in bentonite mixed concrete has been investigated. A reference pit was constructed with steel cage encasing in ordinary concrete. The land mass of the site has somewhat uniform surface soil resistivity which is in the range of 100 Ωm. The performance of earth resistance in each electrode has been measured for five months. The results show that for the first month, the lowest earth resistance and the highest decrement in earth resistance are shown by the pit with concrete having 20% bentonite. However, for the following four months, pits with bentonite mixed concrete showed increased earth resistance compared to the reference pit. These results indicate that the long-term reduction in earth resistance in electrodes encased with bentonite, as observed in previous studies, is not the case with electrodes embedded in bentonite mixed concrete. The initial reduction of earth resistance observed at pits with bentonite mixed concrete may most probably be due to the presence of hydrated bentonite which is not mixed with other constituents of concrete. Other than the pits with 20% and 70% bentonite, the outcome of this research thus far reaffirms the capability of concrete blocks to maintain earth resistance with small fluctuation.

Grounding issues related to lightning currents have been addressed giving special attention to recommended practices in IEC 62305 (2010). Unambiguous recommendations are needed for the requirement of type A system or type B system or both systems for a given installation. Specifications of the length of conductors, based on the level of protection, were critically analyzed emphasizing the human risk related issues. Calculations reveal that at Level III and IV, the specified lengths of type A conductors may give step potentials, especially in highly resistive soils that may drive currents through human beings in the vicinity, exceeding lethal energy. Furthermore, specification of the limiting value of resistance for transient grounding systems may lead to hazardous situations as the difference between frequency dependent impedance and low frequency resistance may increase to very high values at Mega Hertz range where lightning energy spectrum has significant amplitude. Covering of a sizable surface area surrounding the grounding conductors with insulation material, is recommended as a practical solution to this issue.