What is Solar Panel IoT Monitoring & How Does It Work

Are you thinking about using solar power to meet your property's energy demands (and maybe earn some extra money by selling part of that electricity back to the local utility)? You're not alone: 70,000 solar cells are expected to be deployed every hour throughout the world over the next five years.

Renewable power sources are known to be dependable and are regarded as solutions for reaching your energy needs as the best option for meeting our growing energy demands.

To fully utilize solar energy, you should acknowledge its application. An IoT-dependent solar power monitoring system collects and assesses solar power production to guarantee stable energy production.

The system's key benefit is identifying peak performance for improved solar maintenance.

The primary goal of solar monitoring systems is to provide an affordable technology that continuously reveals energy yields and efficiency via smartphones and web-based applications. The system is evaluated with a solar panel to measure string current and voltage, temperature, and irradiation. A Wi-Fi-equipped microprocessor powers this Solar surveillance system with the newest integrated ARM CPU, which interfaces with the solar monitoring tools and transmits information to internet-based platforms.

What are the Applications of IoT in the Solar Sector

The notion of IoT is intriguing. It's comparable to the Internet in that it now affects practically every facet of our life. The IoT is now an aspect of everybody's lives, from transport to leisure, healthcare to commerce. As a result, a slew of new enterprises has sprung up to make use of the Internet's potential. From hardware manufacturers and retailers to telecommunications companies and merchants, a plethora of businesses is beginning to investigate the prospects of utilizing the IoT.

The solar industry is one of these sectors. Things have changed compared to the early 1990s, when photovoltaic systems were large and cumbersome, making them undesirable to most customers. The IoT has made it feasible to build light solar panels that may be mounted on rooftops and cars. This allows homeowners and other photovoltaic entrepreneurs to use the sun's energy instead of local utility providers.

As a result, the IoT is growing as a cutting-edge technology that makes solar energy use more efficient through advanced IoT software, internet connectivity, and monitors.

Solar panel monitoring based on the IoT is intended for real-time simulation and enhanced performance. It allows for the implementation of preventative maintenance and the mapping of an error's cause and the site of the failure.

Not only that but by harnessing the potential of IoT, solar owners and utility providers can manage their solar power resources. This, in turn, supplies them with helpful information to help them generate statistics-driven decisions. Using the data supplied by IoT, you'll be able to determine and examine power use patterns.

What is solar panel IoT monitoring?

Solar monitoring systems are intended to identify and alert users to faults with solar cells to be addressed before they shut down. Solar tracking technology is a critical component of a solar power system since it guarantees that it operates at peak efficiency.

It was impossible to obtain statistics on solar array performance or power output with previous solar power systems and power inverters. You had to physically read the information from the power inverter and record your energy output and consumption.

How does solar panel IoT monitoring work?

Modern photovoltaic systems may be managed using powerful monitoring software attached to the power inverter, which records how much energy they output and current, temperature, and other factors that may impact their efficiency. You may even use a mobile application to monitor the system's performance.

Renogy UK's collaborations with solar system providers allow you to use a mobile phone application to examine your solar panel in real-time. You will also obtain monthly reports summarizing your power generation through email. The software allows you to examine how weather patterns affect production and quickly pinpoint output concerns.

What are the benefits of solar panel monitoring?

Solar monitoring isn't simply a tool; It's a solution that will help you save on maintenance and energy costs while also protecting your house against solar power system failure. It's crucial to remember that your house will still have power even if the solar panel is offline.

Inverter Setups: Parallel vs. Central

Every panel has an independent power inverter in a parallel arrangement, so if one power inverter fails, the other inverters on the solar system will keep supplying electricity. If a solitary inverter fails in a centralized inverter circuit, the overall system shuts down.

Solar panel monitoring can assist you in lowering your home's energy expenditures.

Solar panels are becoming increasingly popular among homeowners. These panels not only save on monthly power costs, but they also have additional advantages. One of them is remote tracking of solar array utilization. Tracking your solar cells may aid in understanding and optimizing how much you're spending on electricity, as well as help you modify your energy use during optimum daylight hours.

Solar Monitoring Can Help Protect Your Household

Solar tracking can safeguard your house from power interruptions, which is the most crucial advantage. If anything goes awry with the solar system, an alarm system will immediately inform of the problem.

Maintaining Your Electricity Costs

Another advantage of getting solar is that it allows you to equalize your energy expenditures. This entails using renewable energy to keep your power bill stable.

You will have fixed your energy prices relative to the expense of your solar system when you go solar. It'll never get worse! You'll also save money by producing your own energy.

What are the different ways to monitor solar panel performance?

Grid-Tie Solar Panel Monitoring Systems

A grid-tied solar energy system is connected directly to the residence and the conventional electric utility network. Grid-tied systems enable homeowners to use their utility grid or the solar system to receive power. The transition from the solar system to the grid is smooth.

The flexibility to optimize system production and household power demand is the primary benefit of this system. When a grid-connected system generates more energy than the residence uses, you can resell the surplus back to the utility provider.

Due to the limited requirements, grid-tied solar systems are a popular and least expensive home solar power system.

One disadvantage of a grid-tied system is that it cant be used to run your household when the local utility grid fails. If the grid cuts electricity unexpectedly, the utility promptly mandates the photovoltaic array to halt.

Microinverters are used in the majority of grid-connected systems nowadays. Microinverters are dependable, simple to set up, and have a 25-year energy warranty. String inverters have also been around more than microinverters and are widely used in big solar panel installations and battery systems.

Microinverters

Microinverters are usually positioned behind the solar panel, converting the solar array's DC output into usable AC energy. Since this transformation takes place at the panel level, you're optimizing your system's productive capacity. and since there is no point of breakdown if a tree covers one solar array, it will not influence the production of any other solar panels.

Microinverters also prevent potentially dangerous high voltage DC connections, making the future expansion of your solar energy system considerably easier.

This model enables the panels to provide power for the residence even on overcast days.

You may also use web-based software to track each microinverter remotely. The tracking system will notify you if a panel or microinverter malfunctions or has a fault, allowing you to address the problem quickly.

DC Optimizers in a String System

A string inverter is usually installed close to the main switchboard on a wall. The majority of grid-connected solar systems for homes have one string inverter. Multiple string inverters can be placed in larger business and residential systems.

Using a string inverter, your solar cell will transform DC power from numerous solar cells into usable AC power. As a result, string inverters can be extremely high voltage.

String inverters, which can be combined alongside power optimizers, are installed by Renogy UK. MPPT charge controllers are used to put power upgraders behind each cell. This technique, similar to a microinverter technology, optimizes the power output of each solar cell. Additionally, the energy optimizers keep track of each solar module's efficiency and provide data to cloud-based software.

The monitoring system will notify you if a module or inverter fails or has a fault, allowing you to address the problem quickly.

Solar System Monitoring for Grid-Tied Systems

Renogy UK offers real-time cloud-based monitoring for all grid-tied solar installations. You can use a mobile phone application to examine your solar system's present and past functioning.

Monitoring also helps you to detect system errors or failures rapidly. If you discover an issue with your solar energy system, Renogy UK can usually assess and resolve it without visiting your home.

Off-Grid Solar Panel Monitoring Systems

Because an off-grid solar energy system isn't linked to the power grid, it needs battery storage. You should construct your off-grid systems properly so they can provide enough electricity all year round and provide enough battery capabilities to meet your household needs.

There are various sorts of off-grid solar energy systems. In simpler DC-linked systems, a photovoltaic charge controller manages battery charging, after which the Dc supply is transformed to AC and transmitted to your household appliances through an off-grid converter.

Batteries

The solar panel will deliver any extra power to your battery. The batteries will stop collecting electricity from the photovoltaic energy system once fully charged. Your devices will take electricity from the battery packs if your solar energy system is not operating at night or during winter.

Backup Generator

When the battery packs are limited on power, and the weather is cloudy, backup generators are usually required. The generator should be big enough to power your household and recharge your battery packs simultaneously.

How to Troubleshoot Your Solar System

Because most households use solar energy systems to save money, the most basic way to tell if they're operating effectively is to check your power bill. Something will be awry if the current month's utility bill is greater than the previous month's.

It makes perfect sense. However, this method is the worst for determining whether your solar energy system functions appropriately.

Check Your Inverter

Almost every PV system includes an inverter, which converts the DC power generated by your solar cells into AC power for use by your home's electronics.

• Your inverter operates efficiently if the light on your solar inverter is constant and green.
• If the indicator on your solar inverter is red, yellow, or flashing, there is an issue.

Check for Shade and Dust on Solar Panels

Considering solar panels require direct sunshine to create electricity, it's essential to keep them clear of everything that could obstruct their production, such as:

Trees with leaves that may be obstructing light. You may need to prune some twigs if that's the situation.

Dust and dirt have built up and prevent sunlight from reaching your Solar panels.

Watch Your Solar System Production Meter

Your solar monitor should be running effectively on sunny days since your solar cells should generate sufficient electricity to power your residence.

It's essential to reach out to a specialist if your inverter is operating correctly and your solar cells are receiving full sun, yet your solar monitor isn't working efficiently.

Conclusion

Solar energy system monitoring is only one aspect of the solar industry. You can reach out to us at Renogy, UK if you'd want advice on how to begin utilizing solar energy. Our team of professionals can assist you in developing a solar energy system that matches your energy and financial goals. We will be with you every step, from establishing precise financial estimates to tailoring a solar energy system layout to installation, since we have planned and executed anything from pilot programs to significant roll-outs. Alternatively, if you already have a solar system in place, inquire about our IoT solar energy tracking technology. We'd be delighted to assist you.