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IoT Based Solar Power Monitoring & Data Logger System

Conference Paper · December 2022

DOI: 10.1109/WIECON-ECE57977.2022.10150511

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2022 IEEE International Women in Engineering (WIE) Conference on Electrical and Computer Engineering (WIECON-ECE)

IoT Based Solar Power Monitoring & Data Logger

System
Sayed Tanimun Hasan* Musrin Sultana Shompa Md. Abdur Rahman
School of Energy and Electronic Engineering Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Eng. Dept of EEE, IIUC
University of Portsmouth International Islamic University International Islamic University
England, United Kingdom Chittagong, Bangladesh Chittagong, Bangladesh
tanimunhasanemon@gmail.com musrinshompa@gmail.com abdurrahman.eee.iiuc@gmail.com

Md Abu Rasel Md Rahim Hossain Apu Md Arifur Rahman

Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Eng. Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Eng. Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Eng.
International Islamic University Port City International University International Islamic University
Chittagong, Bangladesh Chittagong, Bangladesh Chittagong, Bangladesh
aburasel.eee@gmail.com rahimeee908@gmail.com arifuriiuceee@gmail.com

Abstract—A significant component of successfully employing important for the data monitoring system to be inexpensive,
a solar power system is an accurate monitoring mechanism. secure and dependable. The data logging system developed
It is to be noted that a plethora of such accurate systems are in this article not only meets these criteria, but is capable of
already in use globally. However, with the invention of compact
and more powerful solar power plants, the earlier models of much more.
monitoring systems are not practical. Additionally, the new In this paper, we have proposed an IoT based solar power
pico solar systems suitable for usage in underdeveloped areas, monitoring and data logger system. It provides real-time power
require foolproof data logging systems. Thus, this paper sought monitoring and saves data for both software and hardware.
to develop an innovative and cost-effective system that could This data logging system was implemented here on a simple
observe the numerous parameters of pico solar systems. The way
we have accomplished this, is by fitting in a battery following the solar power setup consisting of a solar panel and battery
installation of the solar panel and solar charge controller, which connected via a solar charge controller (PWM). The brains
were then linked to a voltage and current sensor along with the of the data logging portion of the project is the MCU ESP32,
load. Internet of Things (IoT) was utilized via the ThingSpeak which is an inexpensive micro-controller unit with integrated
cloud server. The MCU ESP32 receives signals from the sensor, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Sensors such as the DHT11 for tem-
after which the microcontroller uploads the value to the cloud
server and also displays it on the LCD screen. The system perature monitoring, LDR for luminance and MAX471 for
successfully monitored in real time the parameters of the solar accurate current and voltage measurements were installed on
power system. Established by this project was the development the system. They provide a constant feed of sensor data to
of a monitoring system that allowed rural and developing areas the MCU, which the user can monitor on an LCD screen or
to utilize solar power systems that were easy to diagnose and the designated ThingSpeak cloud server. These measurements
monitor the system parameters as well as the environmental
conditions remotely. will be crucial to maintain adequate system efficiency. Fur-
Index Terms—IoT, Solar PV cell, Monitoring, Data Logger thermore, if using the internet is not viable, the system can
system be accessed on a local HTTP server using a web browser on
computers or even an android app.
I. I NTRODUCTION
Amidst the continued population growth and the myriad
of advancements in technology, the call for a cheap and II. R ELATED W ORK
sustainable source of energy is louder than ever. The most
widely accessible and cheapest to deploy renewable source is A. Non-Commercial Systems
solar power. However, like with any power system, we need Ranhotigamage et al [1]. have created an information col-
to be able to monitor the several parameters to confirm the lecting system for detect defective solar panels and performing
installed Photovoltaic system is performing up to its rated maintenance on them. The system cost $175. M. Fuentes et al.
specification. The older, wired monitoring systems costed [2] developed an Arduino-based low-cost system sporting, 18-
more to maintain and install compared to wireless systems. bit design and up to eight inputs for from eight PV modules.
Sophisticated data monitoring systems for solar power plants Retail cost was $90. Jihua et al. [3] using TinyOS on host
do exist, but more intuitive solutions need to be developed for computers, they could monitor and control the PV system
the smaller, pico solar systems. Pico solar systems will have remotely. Shrihariprasath et al. [4] used GPRS to access their
the most usability in rural or developing regions. Hence, it is cloud storage containing performance metrics of the Solar

979-8-3503-1156-3/22/$31.00 ©2022 IEEE

PCU. Begum et al. [5] developed OM system using SCADA TABLE I
assisted by IoT devices. Google Compute Engine was used P RICE C OMPARISON OF C OMMERCIAL PV M ONITORING S YSTEM [13]
[15]
as the cloud platform. Soham et al. [6] developed an IoT-
based concept which used a microcontroller to process the SL No Name Manufacturer Price (BDT)
data collected from the several sensors at the PV panel end. 1 Geo Solo II PV GEO 9053
2 Eco Eye Smart PV Eco Eye 9340
In [7], authors developed an IoT based smart solar energy 3 Owl Intution PV OWL 9700
monitoring system but there is no data logger system shown. Solar Cache Wi-Link Kit
DSM Energy
In [8], authors implemented arduino based data logger for the 4 Comprehensive
Control Ltd.
44477
photovoltaic systems but they not shown any IoT-based power Energy Monitoring
SMA Data Manager SMA Solar
monitoring system. In [9], [10] authors, developed a low-cost, 5 Not found
M powered by ennexOS Technology AG
versatile data logging system for ecological applications but 6
Solarfox Solar
SOLEDOS GmbH 41315
there is no Iot system available for remotely controlling or Display systems
Our Proposed
monitoring the system. In [11], authors implemented a PV 7
systems
Proposed 6349
system but there is no monitoring system. Pereira et al. [12]
formed a system named the Renewable Energy Monitoring
System (REMS). Consisting of three core parts; Raspberry and fast, but they have problems with low retransmission and
Pi Embedded Linux System (ELS), Online Web Monitor and data loss. On the other hand, At wireless data transmission
SanUSB microcontroller. system the RF data transfer system is good for sending data.
But in RF systems main problems are that they cost a lot to set
B. Commercial System up and need permission to do so. Wi-Fi, on the other hand,
Green Energy Options Ltd. offers their system, the Geo Solo is another option. It is a good wireless data communication
II [13]. It has smart features such as notifying the user when system with a faster rate of data transfer. Wi-Fi has become
PV panels output peak power or greater than 750W, which a popular way to send data, but the system is expensive and
would allow the user to use higher-load machines or appli- uses a lot of power. A low-cost and open-source computer-
ances. Information such as the power generated, incentives based general data acquisition system where uses a dedicated
earned and the avoided greenhouse gas emissions are shown PC with USB or Serial RS-232 for communication. A Lab
on their application, Energynote. Eco Eye has their system VIEWTM-based system for simulating and keeping an eye
called the Eco Eye Smart PV [14]. It collects the data such as on PV is also suggested. Most of these data loggers and
total generation, power being used and the net power. These monitoring systems are based on microcontrollers and use
parameters are collected from sensors placed on generation a third-party server in the cloud. This microcontroller-based
as wells as the demand end. SMA has their Data Manager system is not cost-effective. Because it needs only a PC and
M which is powered by their ennexOS [15]. This system is an internet connection to store and monitor data. Also, there
expandable to add energy meters or I/O systems or likewise is no information security and privacy policy for the cloud-
components. This systems also supports standards the likes of based system. After the new era of the internet, solutions based
Modbus and TCP. on IoT are also being proposed using Arduino, open-source
servers, and mobile apps like as Blynk.

III. COMPARISON
The global era is experiencing changes in the use of energy IV. METHODOLOGY
resources. In this race for exploration, renewable energy like We have developed an affordable IoT based solar power
as solar energy is racing ahead of several energy resources due monitoring and also developed a data logger system. In our
to several factors. Hence energy as well as the parameters of model, the primary source of energy is a solar panel. A battery
solar Photovoltaic (PV) system needs to be carefully monitored connected as storage by solar charge controller (PWM). And
and data logger in cloud. PWM distribute to load and voltage & current sensor. MCU
ESP32 receives reading from DHT11 sensor, LDR, MAX471
Older monitoring systems were wired. They were reliable, sensor. Microcontroller shows it to LCD monitor and publish
but they had to use long cables to send data with noise or MCU ESP32 data to a cloud server.
and low accuracy data. RS232 or RS485 cables were used to Functional Block Diagram shows the Solar Panel as power
send and receive data in wired monitoring systems. The cost of source connected (PWM) solar charge controller and it dis-
setting up and maintaining this physical system was costly and tributes to battery, load and voltage & current sensor. All
need huge employee. The wireless monitoring system solve sensors connected with ESP32 Microcontroller. And it receives
this problems. Satellite, GSM, Zigbee, and other RF devices reading from DHT11 sensor, LDR, MAX471 sensor and shows
have all been used to send and receive data for wireless data it to LCD monitor and send it to cloud server.
monitoring systems. In the fig3, this is the circuit design of the Solar Power
Satellite data transmission is slow and that installation costs Monitoring and Data Logger System. 9V 220mA Solar Panel
a lot. Compared to satellite, GSM-based systems are reliable connected as incoming power to Solar Charger Controller
The functional block diagram is shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3. Circuit design of the Solar Power Monitoring and Data Logger System
Fig. 1. Functional block diagram

The schematic circuit diagram is shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4. Equilibrium circuit structure of a solar PV cell

They are immature like tangible and translucent cells with

low effectiveness and minimal price. The boundaries of the
major PV module facts are showed in Fig 4 [16].The solar
cell defines the negative courting among current and electrical
power and the calculations that define the solar cell.

Fig. 2. Schematic circuit diagram

i = iph − id − ir (1)
S
(SCC). It receive solar power and supply it to battery. Then it iph = isco . + Cs (T − Tref ) (2)
So
supply power to load. ESP32 Microcontroller collect reading qvd 1 1
from max471 current & voltage sensor, DHT11 sensor gives id = io [e. ( − )] (3)
Ak Tref T
temperature and humidity reading, LDR sensor gives light vd
intensity reading. Display all the reading output in LCD ir = (4)
Rsh
display. Besides, it initialize WiFi connectivity and send the v
real time data to the cloud server. vd = ( + i.Rs ) (5)
Ns
T = Ta + Ks .S (6)
Solar PV cells are normally coordinated into modules and
created from semiconductors cells. There are a collection
of sunlight primarily based cells reachable on the lookout. Hardware Components of this project: ESP32 Micro-
controller Unit, Solar PV Panel, Solar Charger Controller, VI. E XPERIMENTAL R ESULTS :
Battery, MAX471, DHT11, LDR(Light Dependent Resistor), When accessing the ThingSpeak cloud server, we found a
20x4 i2c LCD Display and etc. Overall covers the project’s 15 second update interval. Five separate fields were created to
methodology, including the project’s block diagram, accommodate the data from the sensors.
component list, and descriptions of the most important
components. Include a diagram of the circuit as well as a Fig. 6 shows the current measurement from the system as
description of it’s operation and focused on the project’s seen on the ThingSpeak cloud server.
algorithm development.

V. A LGORITHM F LOWCHART

Fig. 6. Current measurement (Min. value: 0A, Max. value: 2A)

Fig. 7 shows the voltage measurement across the load as

seen on the ThingSpeak cloud server.

Fig. 7. Voltage measurement (Min. value: 0V, Max. value: 8V)

Fig. 8 shows the power measurement from the system as

seen on the ThingSpeak cloud server.

Fig. 5. System Algorithm Flow Chart

This algorithm has been used in our project. When turned

on, this device will look for WiFi credentials that match. If
the WiFi credentials match, it will move on to the next step;
if not, it will pause and continue looking for the credentials.
If the credentials are correct, the program will run, collecting
sensor data and moving on to the next step. Fig. 8. Power measurement
Fig. 9 shows the humidity measurement from the system as The following readings were observed on the LCD display:
seen on the ThingSpeak cloud server. Fig. 12 shows the state of LCD display when no load is
connected. Hence, all the readings are zero.

Fig. 12. LCD display when no load is connected

Fig. 13 shows the state of LCD display when load is

Fig. 9. Humidity measurement
connected. And the voltage, current and power readings
were, 8.27V, 1.65A and 13.69W respectively.

Fig. 10 shows the temperature measurement from the system

as seen on the ThingSpeak cloud server.

Fig. 13. LCD display when load is connected

In Fig. 17, we see that the stored voltage in the battery is

7.3V.

Fig. 10. Temperature measurement

Fig. 11 shows the real-time current, voltage and power

measurements from the system as seen on the ThingSpeak
cloud server.

Fig. 14. Stored voltage in battery

VII. A REAWISE DATA A NALYSIS

The original data-set was obtained after running the solar
Fig. 11. Real-Time current, volage and power measurement monitoring system in our university campus, which we then
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Area Hill Beach
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public channel on the ThingSpeak cloud server, the monitoring
system can be accessed online from anywhere.

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