Monitoring and Optimizing Solar Power Generation of Flat-Fixed and Auto-Tracking Solar Panels with IoT System

Abstract

In this work, the integration of recent digital technology of Internet of Things (IoT) with solar energy management was made to monitor real-time data of panel voltage (Vpv) and current (Ipv) of the solar panel. The solar panels were installed in Kelantan, Malaysia and this integrated solar power plant with IoT was developed with hardware setup and virtually tested to enhance the tracking behaviour of the proposed system. The comparison of different tilt angle of solar PV shows that solar PV facing the sun perpendicularly (45°) generated higher power generation compared to flat-fixed (0°). Whilst, by comparing fixed angle (45°) and auto tracking solar panel, the power generation recorded can reach up to double performance value (230 W) compared to 170 W generated from 45° fixed angle of solar PV. The IoT-based control of solar power significantly improves the performance of monitoring and maintenance of the power plant parameters with ease monitoring, cost-effectiveness and 24/7 remotely controlled.