Sensors 2016, 16(6), 770; https://doi.org/10.3390/s16060770
Real-Time Monitoring System for a Utility-Scale Photovoltaic Power Plant
Isabel M. Moreno-Garcia 1,*
, Emilio J. Palacios-Garcia 1, Victor Pallares-Lopez 1, Isabel Santiago 1, Miguel J. Gonzalez-Redondo 1, Marta Varo-Martinez 2 and Rafael J. Real-Calvo 1
, Emilio J. Palacios-Garcia 1, Victor Pallares-Lopez 1, Isabel Santiago 1, Miguel J. Gonzalez-Redondo 1, Marta Varo-Martinez 2 and Rafael J. Real-Calvo 11
Electronic Technology Area, University of Cordoba, Cordoba 14071, Spain
2
Department of Applied Physics, University of Cordoba, Cordoba 14071, Spain
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: Albert M. K. Cheng
Received: 8 April 2016 / Revised: 18 May 2016 / Accepted: 24 May 2016 / Published: 26 May 2016
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Real-Time and Cyber-Physical Systems)
Abstract
There is, at present, considerable interest in the storage and dispatchability of photovoltaic (PV) energy, together with the need to manage power flows in real-time. This paper presents a new system, PV-on time, which has been developed to supervise the operating mode of a Grid-Connected Utility-Scale PV Power Plant in order to ensure the reliability and continuity of its supply. This system presents an architecture of acquisition devices, including wireless sensors distributed around the plant, which measure the required information. It is also equipped with a high-precision protocol for synchronizing all data acquisition equipment, something that is necessary for correctly establishing relationships among events in the plant. Moreover, a system for monitoring and supervising all of the distributed devices, as well as for the real-time treatment of all the registered information, is presented. Performances were analyzed in a 400 kW transformation center belonging to a 6.1 MW Utility-Scale PV Power Plant. In addition to monitoring the performance of all of the PV plant’s components and detecting any failures or deviations in production, this system enables users to control the power quality of the signal injected and the influence of the installation on the distribution grid. View Full-TextKeywords:
Photovoltaic distributed generation; power quality; real-time monitoring; embedded systems; wireless sensor network (WSN)
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Moreno-Garcia, I.M.; Palacios-Garcia, E.J.; Pallares-Lopez, V.; Santiago, I.; Gonzalez-Redondo, M.J.; Varo-Martinez, M.; Real-Calvo, R.J. Real-Time Monitoring System for a Utility-Scale Photovoltaic Power Plant. Sensors 2016, 16, 770.
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