The Benefits Of IoT For Solar Power Generation Systems

Posted by chandni on February 20th, 2020

Solar farms can reap a whole bunch of benefits from the IoT (Internet of Things). Does it surprise you? It shouldn’t, because the IoT will become an integral part of almost everything shortly. As you probably know, solar farms are becoming an increasingly important and feasible option for energy generation. At the same time, conventional energy creation techniques and their associated resources are getting more and more expensive with every passing year. Excessive use of non-renewable energy sources is one of the most profound reasons behind climate change and pollution. Companies like Mahindra Teqo have come  to tackle the situation on the frontlines - as one might put it, to grab the bull by the horns.

1. Status updates in real time: Now you will learn about the changes that IoT platform for solar can bring. By placing an IoT sensor on an individual solar panel, you can monitor specific parameters of the same. These include energy output, tilt angle, temperature, and cardinal direction. This granularity provides the managers of solar farms peace of mind. They can keep tabs on the panels and fix issues that occur that arise faster than before.

1. Maintenance in real-time: The overview acquired via real-time maintenance of solar farms allows managers to gain an insight into problems occurring with specific panels. Instead of viewing it as a decrease in the overall performance of the farm, the managers will be able to pinpoint the very panel that is the cause of the problem. For instance, whenever you spot a panel that exhibits an incorrect tilt angle, you can ask the technicians of Mahindra Teqo to inspect and repair it. All of it is possible due to IoT. These IoT sensors allow solar farm managers to identify the problems through specific layers of the IoT system. If a panel doesn’t report its data, then you can assume that the network isn’t at fault. However, if a group of panels stops reporting, then network issues are obvious.

1. Prognostic scrutiny: Now that you can accumulate the energy output and efficiency of every panel, you can replace or repair them proactively. This is a massive benefit of IoT for solar power generation systems, as considered by the experts working with Mahindra Teqo. Solar farm managers like you won’t have to replace entire batches of panels in close physical proximity based on age. Your farm will experience an increase in energy production in the long-term. Solar farm managers will also be able to utilize predictive analysis to battle the whims of the weather to create and store power for future consumption.

1. Enhancing security: Since you will be relying on IoT for your solar power generation system, you might wonder whether it will be vulnerable to cyber-attacks. This concern of yours is entirely valid. Then again, enhancements in IoT security will prevent your solar farm from malicious attacks. One approach is already here and you will learn about it if you search the web for “hardware root of trust.” It is a new IoT security solution designed and launched by Google Cloud IoT Core and Microchip. Any device can securely connect to Google IoT Core with a token bearing the sign of a private key. Then, the Cloud IoT Core will validate the gadget using the corresponding public key.

Final words

With the information provided in this article, one can safely say that IoT will improve the efficiency of solar farms while enhancing accessibility. Furthermore, the sensors will allow the managers to recognize problems with specific panels and within the layers of the IoT system.