Comparative analysis of photovoltaic modules center and edge temperature using IoT embedded system

Abstract

The main objective of this project is to develop and implement an Internet of Things (IoT) monitoring system to analyze the temperature at the center and at the edge of grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) modules at Maracanaú – CE, Brazil. The proposed IoT embedded system is based on free software and hardware using ESP 32 development board, allowing online distribution, free usage and communication with a server in the Cloud wirelessly via WiFi. The use of open source and cross-platform (Linux, Windows® and Mac OSX) allows greater interaction and accessibility to the user. A web page called Web Monitor was developed for online data consulting and for real-time monitoring of the PV temperature. Monitoring individual PV modules has the objective of providing data for the analysis of electricity generation efficiency and for fault detection in case of PV cells overheating. Meteorological data such as solar irradiance, ambient temperature, relative humidity and wind speed were also measured and monitored to allow a more complete analysis of the effect of these variables on the module temperature response. According to the results, the PV module edge temperature is 1.5 to 2ºC lower than the center temperature.