IoT-based Solar Panel Monitoring System with Tracking

Abstract

As technology advances, the cost of renewable energy systems is falling, so solar panel installations are increasing massively, but most installations are in inaccessible places, as close as a roof or even a desert. So, we need a suitable surveillance system that uses wide area networks. In this document we will discuss a low-cost IoT-based solar panel monitoring system with tracking. Using sensors and microcontrollers, we can send the measured data to the Internet, which we can access from anywhere in the world, which provides us with real-time information from the solar panel at a fixed interval of 15 seconds. So, it will be very easy to monitor, detect faults and maintain the Solar Panel. We will also discuss how to gain maximum power from sun radiation. This can be achieved by rotating the solar panel with the sun all day long. The position of the sun is determined by its angle of elevation and its direction. Using Light dependent sensors and Servo motors, this process can be done. So, this paper proposes the whole methodology for monitoring and tracking solar panel.