Development of a Real-Time Surface Solar Radiation Measurement System Based on the Internet of Things (IoT)

Abstract

The determination of the levels of solar radiation incident on the terrestrial surface (W·m−2) is essential for several areas such as architecture, agriculture, health, power generation, telecommunications, and climate forecasting models. The high cost of acquiring and maintaining radiometric equipment makes it difficult to create and expand monitoring networks. It contributes to the limited Brazilian radiometric network and affects the understanding and availability of this variable. This paper presents the development of a new surface solar radiation measurement system based on silicon photodiodes (Si) with a spectral range between 300 nm and 1400 nm incorporating Internet of Things (IoT) technology with an estimated cost of USD 200. The proposed system can provide instantaneous surface solar radiation levels, connectivity to wireless networks and an exclusive web system for monitoring data. For the sake of comparison, the results were compared with those provided by a government meteorology station (INMet). The prototype validation resulted in determination coefficients (R2) greater than 0.95 while the statistical analysis referred to the results and uncertainties for the range of ±500 kJ·m−2, less than 4.0% for the developed prototypes. The proposed system operates similarly to pyranometers based on thermopiles providing reliable readings, a low acquisition and maintenance cost, autonomous operation, and applicability in the most varied climatological and energy research types. The developed system is pending a patent at the National Institute of Industrial Property under registration BR1020200199846.

Design of an Internet of Things (IoT)-Based Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) Monitoring System

“…The SI 1145 had a much higher IA value (0.989) than the photodiode (0.834). The IA of the SI1145 is comparable to that of a study conducted by Rocha et al ( 2021), which obtained an IA of 0.953 and 0.950 for the two prototypes of PAR sensors using photodiodes [13].…”

“…This result shows a strong correlation between LI-190R and SI 1145. This correlation for the SI 1145 is comparable to that of Rocha et al ( 2021), who obtained R 2 values of 0.962 and 0.958 when compared to solar radiation for two prototypes of the PAR sensor using a photodiode [13]. Fielder et al (2000) achieved an R 2 value of 0.999 when comparing their photodiode to a LI-190 quantum sensor [32].…”

“…The cost is comparable to other studies using a microcontroller and a photodiode to measure PAR. The cost of a system utilizing the ESP8266 microcontroller is estimated at 200 USD [13]. The advantage of the design outlined in this paper is the ability to deploy the sensor anywhere as it uses a 4G LTE cell tower instead of Wi-Fi that ESP8266 uses.…”

“…Other studies have developed a low-cost PAR sensor using a photodiode. For instance, the Vishay BPW34 photodiode (Vishay, Malvern, PA, USA) was used to measure PAR [13]. This design used a silicon photodiode, a diffuser, and an optical filter.…”

A Review of State-of-the-Art and Short-Term Forecasting Models for Solar PV Power Generation

“…Raspberry Pi is also applied to set up the human-machine interface and display it in website form while viewing it remotely via the internet. Furthermore, the collection progress is checked to confirm the hardware operation status and collect the data stably [96][97][98].…”