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Solar photovoltaic (PV) farm output power is highly related to the panel conditions. Soiling causes faults in the PV panels leading to a dras-tic reduction in the system efficiency. In vast solar PV farms, the detection of faults in an individual PV panel is a difficult task since it is usually done manually. In this research, a new design is proposed to detect the production of individual PV panel automatically and periodically to evaluate the condition of each panel in the farm no matter how it is connected in the array. The proposed design allows the user to measure the open circuit voltage (VOC), the short circuit current (ISC) and the delivered power for each PV panel in the farm. It is also capable of controlling each panel to work at the maximum power point using a built in Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) sub-circuit on each solar panel. The presented system depicts a complete wireless sensor network, which does not need any extra wiring and is character-ized by being of low cost, reliable and efficient.

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The energy industry and in particular the Oil Refineries are extremely important elements in Iraq's infrastructure. A terrorist attack on one oil refinery will have a catastrophic impact on oil production and the whole economy. It can also cause serious damage to the environment and even losses of human lives. The security of information systems and industrial control systems such as Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems and Distributed Control System (DCS) used in the oil industry is a major part of infrastructure protection strategy. This paper describes an attempt to use several security procedures to design a secure, robust system for the SCADA and DCS systems currently in use in the North Oil Refinery in the city of Baiji located in northern Iraq.