Adaptive photovoltaic solar module based on internet of things and web-based monitoring system

<span>This paper presents an intelligent of single axis automatic adaptive photovoltaic solar module. A static solar panel has an issue of efficiency on shading effects, irradiance of sunlight absorbed, and less power generates. This aims to design an effective algorithm tracking system and a prototype automatic adaptive solar photovoltaic (PV) module connected through </span><span>internet of things (IoT). The system has successfully designated on solving efficiency optimization. A tracking system by using active method orientation and allows more power and energy are captured. The solar rotation angle facing aligned to the light-dependent resistor (LDR) voltage captured and high solar panel voltage measured by using Arduino microcontroller. Real-time data is collected from the dynamic solar panel, published on Node-Red webpage, and running interactive via android device. The system has significantly reduced time. Data captured by the solar panel then analyzed based on irradiance, voltage, current, power generated and efficiency. Successful results present a live data analytic platform with active tracking system that achieved larger power generated and efficiency of solar panel compared to a fixed mounted array. This research is significant that can help the user to monitor parameters collected by the solar panel thus able to increase 51.82% efficiency of the PV module.</span>

Five-Year Performance of an ESE Lightning Protection System for a Large Scale PV Power Plant in Thailand

This article presents a five-year performance review of an early streamer emission (ESE) air terminal lightning protection system for a large scale PV power plant in Thailand. The comparison effect of a Franklin lightning protection system and the ESE lightning protection system was analyzed for the PV power plant. The ESE lightning protection system was selected to be implemented in the PV power plant. The capacity of the PV power plant studied was 8 MWp on an area of 150,000 square meters in the Nong Ya Plong district, Phetchaburi province, Western Thailand. A Franklin lightning rod type was also designed to be implemented in this PV power plant. The Franklin lightning rod type comprised 122 pieces but the ESE lightning rod type consisted of only 11 pieces. The conceptual design of the Franklin rod type followed the standard of the Council of Engineers, Thailand, and the ESE lightning rod type followed the NFC17102 standard of France. The estimated cost of installation was a key comparison to select the lightning protection system; the total installation cost of the Franklin lightning rod type was USD 197,363.80 and the ESE lightning rod type was USD 44,338.06. The lightning system was applied to the lightning arrester in the power plant to provide good protection, in which the balance of the pole to the mounting position is required to optimize the system performance. The result of the simulation also showed that the shading effects of the Franklin rod type were greater than the ESE rod type. The installation cost of the Franklin lightning rod type was 4.45 times more expensive than the ESE lightning rod type. Therefore, the ESE lightning protection system was selected to be implemented in the PV power plant. From the recorded data of the five-year performance of the ESE lightning protection system (2016–2020), there were three occurrences of a lightning strike on the PV power plant. The ESE lightning protection system effectively protected and prevented the lightning strike to the PV power plant. This study can help and support with the selection of a lightning system for the protection of large scale PV power plants in the future.

Virtual pruning of 3D trees as a tool for managing shading effects in agroforestry systems

Light is a limiting resource for crops within integrated land use systems especially those including woody perennials. The amount of available light at ground level can be modified by artificially pruning the overstory. Aiming to increase the understanding of light management strategies, we simulated the pruning of wild cherry trees and compared the shading effects of the resulting tree structures over a complete growing season, with fine spatiotemporal resolution. Original 3D-tree structures were retrieved employing terrestrial laser scanning and quantitative structure models, and subjected to two pruning treatments at low and high intensities. By using the ‘shadow model’, the analogous tree structures created diverse shaded scenarios varying in size and intensity of insolation reduction. Conventional pruning treatments reduced the crown structure to the uppermost portion of the tree bole, reducing the shading effects, and thus, shrinking the shaded area on the ground by up to 38%, together with the shading intensity. As an alternative, the selective removal of branches reduced the shading effects, while keeping a more similar spatial distribution compared to the unpruned tree. Hence, the virtual pruning of tree structures can support designing and selecting adequate tending operations for the management of light distribution in agroforestry systems. The evidence assembled in this study is highly relevant for agroecosystems and can be strategically used for maintaining, planning and designing integrated tree-crop agricultural systems.

An Economic Analysis of the Shading Effects of Transmission Lines on Photovoltaic Power Plant Investment Decisions: A Case Study

In today’s photovoltaic (PV) power plants, traditional crystalline PV modules are the prevalent technology, which is highly susceptible to partial shading due to the risk of irreversible damage. Therefore, it is advisable to explore potential construction sites for objects that might cause shading, including high-voltage transmission towers, whose shading effects can be significant due to their height. By means of innovative simulation, using a model, validated with actual data, this study endeavored to deliver novel information related to the problems of shading by high-voltage transmission lines. In the context of Hungary, it examined the risk factors, technical and economic aspects, and possible solutions important for PV projects. It provides new insight, much needed also at the international level, considering the fact that the extent of the shadows cast by conductors on the surface at low Sun elevations is not known at present and neither are the shading characteristics of conductors between two transmission towers, depending on their height, in winter, when the Sun is low. An added practical benefit of the study is that its technical and economic approaches and the software solutions are all based on the practice of PV system design and construction. Related to the investigated issues, this can facilitate the formulation of the technical and economic aspects of suitable PV power plant building strategies in Hungary.

Advanced SuDoKu Based Reconfiguration Strategies for Maximum Power Extraction from Partially Shaded Solar PV Array

Individual performance of photovoltaic (PV) modules is contravened by mismatch losses which results in blockage in most of the solar power generated by the PV array (PVA). Partial shading conditions (PSCs) are the main causes of these losses. Several techniques have been discussed to reduce the issues caused by PSCs. Reconfiguration techniques have been proven to be one of the most successful methods that help towards this cause. In this method, the location of PV module (PVM) in the PVA is reconfigured so that the shading effects get distributed throughout the entire array and, hence, maximizing the power output. Two novel reconfiguration patterns such as canonical SuDoKu (CS) and multi diagonal SuDoKu (MDS) for total cross tied (TCT) configuration have been put forth in this manuscript. This approach aims to rearrange the PVMs in the TCT array as per the fed in patterns without causing a change in the internal electrical connections. Further parts of the manuscript focus on the comparison of the proposed pattern's performance with other pre-existing PVA arrangements such as, TCT, SuDoKu, optimal SuDoKu (OS) and modified SuDoku (MS) by taking into account the effects of global maximum power (GMP) point, mismatch power loss, fill factor and performance ratio. The results obtained from the detailed analysis presented in this paper gives proper evidence that, in many cases, the GMP is amplified in the CS and, in all cases, GMP is amplified in the proposed MDS PVA under different shading conditions.