Can someone suggest a good, but cheap Solar PV monitoring system?
July 19, 2010 1:52 PM Subscribe
Can someone suggest a good, but cheap Solar PV monitoring system?
I am new to installing solar PV panels, and wish to use an automated monitoring system that will collect data on the performance of the panel(s) and plot graphs accordingly.
Can anyone suggest a system that I could use or a company that has these capabilities at a good/cheap price?
It would need to be a UK company as I am based in the South of England, UK
I am new to installing solar PV panels, and wish to use an automated monitoring system that will collect data on the performance of the panel(s) and plot graphs accordingly.
Can anyone suggest a system that I could use or a company that has these capabilities at a good/cheap price?
It would need to be a UK company as I am based in the South of England, UK
Response by poster: I'm looking for a device that I can use to monitor the outputs of the modules I have installed for clients.
posted by sockpim at 9:03 AM on July 20, 2010
posted by sockpim at 9:03 AM on July 20, 2010
Sorry I don't know of a UK company doing this.
Part of the problem is that this is actually a fairly simple problem to solve and so there is not a lot of profit to be made creating a solution. As soon as you try and charge a price that would make it worth your while most of your customers just go and create something for themselves.
The solution I saw was created by a San Jose installer called ReGrid Power. It requires an "always on" internet connection, which is fairly common in California (DSL or cable modem). I don't know about the UK, but the USB 3G dongles that are common in Ireland would also work (not sure if they will be cost effective). It used a single board computer running Linux that hooks up to the inverter (usually a serial/RS232 connection). The board could be connected (wire or WiFi) to a customer's router to use their internet connection or it could have its own internet connection (like a USB dongle). It runs a basic web server that makes the logged data available online.
posted by Long Way To Go at 6:59 AM on July 21, 2010
Part of the problem is that this is actually a fairly simple problem to solve and so there is not a lot of profit to be made creating a solution. As soon as you try and charge a price that would make it worth your while most of your customers just go and create something for themselves.
The solution I saw was created by a San Jose installer called ReGrid Power. It requires an "always on" internet connection, which is fairly common in California (DSL or cable modem). I don't know about the UK, but the USB 3G dongles that are common in Ireland would also work (not sure if they will be cost effective). It used a single board computer running Linux that hooks up to the inverter (usually a serial/RS232 connection). The board could be connected (wire or WiFi) to a customer's router to use their internet connection or it could have its own internet connection (like a USB dongle). It runs a basic web server that makes the logged data available online.
posted by Long Way To Go at 6:59 AM on July 21, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
The SMA Sunny Boy is a good example.
posted by girlgenius at 4:03 PM on July 19, 2010