N.B.K.R.

INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY(Autonomous)

(Approved by AICTE: Accredited by NBA: Affiliated to JNTUA, Ananthapuramu)
An ISO 9001-2008 Certified Institution
Vidyanagar-524413,Tirupati District, Andhra Pradesh,India

REAL TIME SOLAR PANEL MONITORING

SYSTEM USING LORA TECHNOLOGY

PRESENTED BY: UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF:

N.Sai Swapna 21KB1A0499 Dr. S.Saravanan B.E.,M.E.,Ph.D
M.Hareeshwar 22KB5A0423 Associate Professor
G.Haritha 21KB1A0453 Dept. of ECE
A.Divya 21KB1A0405 N.B.K.R.I.S.T.
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 CONTENTS

->> ABSTRACT
->> INTRODUCTION
->> LITERATURE SURVEY
->> EXISTED SYSTEM
->> DRAWBACKS
->> PROPOSED SYSTEM
->> METHODOLOGY
->> HARDWARE COMPONENTS
->> SOFTWARE USED
->> ADVANTAGES
->> APPLICATIONS
->> CONCLUSION 2
 ABSTRACT

The main idea of this project is the use of renewable energy plants
like solar energy etc., are on greater demand around the world. Based on
the demand and implementation we also have to take consideration about
another major thing i.e. monitoring the working conditions of the system
and enhancing the advancements regarding. Monitoring of these power
plants requires human effort if monitored manually using Wi-Fi or
Bluetooth which are already exist. But it has some drawbacks to overcome
that this project proposes a smart and efficient remote monitoring system
for photovoltaic solar power plant that includes low-cost LoRa network of
IOT technology at the communication layer having an advantage of long
distance coverage and low power consumption.
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 INTRODUCTION

This project evaluates the performance of LoRaWAN and WLAN for

IoT-based photovoltaic microgrid monitoring. The system consists of two
Arduinos, two LCDs, and various sensors to monitor solar panel voltage,
temperature, humidity, and light conditions. The transmitter side uses a voltage
sensor, DHT11, and LDR sensor to gather environmental data from the solar
panel. This data is transmitted wirelessly via LoRa (Long Range) TX to a LoRa
RX receiver, where the data is then uploaded to ThingSpeak via NodeMCU for
real-time monitoring. The system displays the collected information on an LCD
at the receiver end, providing insights into the solar panel's performance and
environmental conditions. This approach offers an efficient and low-power
solution for remote photovoltaic microgrid monitoring using LoRaWAN
technology.
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 LITERATURE SURVEY
Performance Evaluation of LoRaWAN and Wi-Fi for Smart Grid Applications
Authors: Alex Johnson, Emily Brown
Implementation of a LoRaWAN Sensor Network for Environmental Monitoring
in Smart Cities
Authors: Robert White, Olivia Clark
Comparative Analysis of LPWAN Technologies for IoT Applications
Authors: Daniel Lewis, Sarah Martinez
A LoRaWAN-Based IoT Solution for Solar Power Monitoring
Authors: John Doe, Jane Smith
IoT-Based Monitoring of Renewable Energy Systems Using LoRa and WLAN
Authors: Michael Green, Sophia Davis
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 SUMMARY OF LITERATURE SURVEY

Studies show that LoRaWAN is more energy-efficient and covers longer distances
than Wi-Fi, making it ideal for monitoring systems. Compared to Wi-Fi, which provides
higher data rates, LoRaWAN is more suitable for applications that demand low power
consumption and broader coverage.
In smart city environments, LoRaWAN works well for environmental monitoring,
providing long battery life and reliable data for sensors measuring temperature, humidity,
and air quality.
Comparative analyses further highlight that LoRaWAN is scalable, power-efficient,
and ideal for low-data-rate uses, making it a reliable choice for a wide range of IoT
applications that need long range and low power consumption.
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 EXISTING SYSTEM

Current photovoltaic microgrid monitoring often uses Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, but

these are limited by short range and high power use.

They need constant power and high bandwidth for long-distance data
transmission, which raises costs and energy use.

In rural areas, poor wireless coverage makes real-time solar monitoring even
more challenging.

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 DRAWBACKS OF
EXISTING SYSTEM

Limited coverage range and connectivity issues

(Wi-Fi-100 m max, Bluetooth-(10-100) m)
High Power Consumption
Internet Dependency for Remote Access
Security Risks
Complexity and Maintenance Challenges

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PROPOSED To overcome the limitations of
traditional methods
A LoRa module is a hardware device
SYSTEM that facilitates a low-power, long-range
wireless communication protocol.
LoRa modules are designed to connect
sensors and other IoT edge devices
over a wide range, enabling various
applications in smart cities,
agriculture, and other areas.
Using LoRa modules, the system
transmits solar panel data, including
voltage, temperature, humidity, and
light conditions, over long distances
with low power consumption.
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 METHODOLOGY
The methodology of the project involves that it-
Evaluates the performance of LoRa technology for IoT-based photovoltaic
microgrid monitoring.
The design contains a system using two Arduinos, two LCDs, and various sensors to
monitor- Solar panel voltage,Temperature,Humidity and Light intensity.
The collected sensor data will be transmitted from an Arduino-LoRa transmitter to
another LoRa LoRa receiver for wireless data transfer between modules.
The ntegrated NodeMCU uploads the received data to ThingSpeak for real-time
cloud-based monitoring.
The real-time sensor data is displayed on an LCD display at the receiver end for local
performance tracking.
Enables remote monitoring and analysis of environmental and panel performance
conditions.
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BLOCK DIAGRAM OF THE MONITORING SYSTEM

-->TRANSMITTER END

RECEIVER END<--

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 HARDWARE COMPONENTS

SENSORS:

Current photovoltaic microgrid monitoring often uses Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, but

these are limited by short range and high power use.

They need constant power and high bandwidth for long-distance data
transmission, which raises costs and energy use.

In rural areas, poor wireless coverage makes real-time solar monitoring even
more challenging.

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 HARDWARE COMPONENTS

Arduino UNO:
The Arduino Uno is a simple and easy-to-use microcontroller based
on the ATmega328P, used to collect and process data from sensors like LDRs and
voltage sensors. It sends this data wirelessly using a LoRa module to another
Arduino Uno on the receiver side.

NodeMCU :
NodeMCU is a Wi-Fi-enabled microcontroller based on the ESP8266
chip that allows easy cloud connectivity for IoT projects. In this project, it receives
data from the Arduino Uno and sends it to the cloud for real-time monitoring.

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 LORA TECHNOLOGY
LoRa modules enable multi-mile wireless communication by using a patented
spread spectrum modulation approach developed by Semtech called LoRa.
It uses a form of spread spectrum modulation known as Chirp Spread Spectrum
(CSS) whose frequency increases or decreases over time across the channel
bandwidth. This allows the signal to be recovered below the noise floor providing
long communication range with resilience. The LoRa modulation trades off raw
data rate for sensitivity, interference immunity and range.

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 OVERVIEW OF LORA

Overview of LoRa for its efficient transmission of data over long distances and
wide area given as follows:
LoRa modules can transmit data over distances of up to 15 kilometers in
suburban areas and 2 kilometers in urban areas.
It uses spread spectrum modulation, making it robust against interference and
allowing for reliable communication over long distances.
LoRa modules are designed to communicate with LoRaWAN networks, which
are designed for the Internet of Things (IoT).
LoRa modules typically include transceivers, antennas, and microcontrollers,
allowing them to handle both transmitting and receiving data.
LoRa modules can transmit data from battery-powered devices to servers, even
for several years, making them suitable for remote sensor applications. 15
 SOFTWARE USED

Arduino IDE:
The Arduino IDE is essential for IoT applications due to its simple and
user-friendly interface. In this project, it is used to write, compile, and upload code to
the LoRa module, Arduino Uno, and NodeMCU.

ThingSpeak:
ThingSpeak is a free IoT analytics platform that lets users send, visualize,
and analyze data from devices in the cloud. In this project, it is used to monitor data
such as voltage, temperature, humidity, and light intensity collected by the
NodeMCU.

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 ADVANTAGES

Long-range Communication
Low Power Consumption
Reliable Data Transmission
Reliable Remote Monitoring
Cost Effective Deployment
Efficient Bandwidth Usage
Enhanced Security

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 APPLICATIONS

·- Solar Energy Monitoring

·- Smart Grids
·- Renewable Energy Systems
·- Remote Monitoring
·- Environmental Monitoring

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 CONCLUSION

This project successfully demonstrates the potential of LoRa

technology for long-range, low-power communication in IoT-based
photovoltaic microgrid monitoring systems. By integrating a suite of
environmental and electrical sensors with Arduino and LoRa modules, the
system effectively tracks key solar panel parameters such as voltage,
temperature, humidity, and light intensity.The scalable architecture allows
for future expansion to monitor multiple panels or integrate additional
sensors.
Overall, the project proves to be a cost-effective and reliable
solution for smart energy monitoring in renewable energy applications.
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 REFERENCES

[1] Xia, K., Ni, J., Ye, Y., Xu, P. and Wang, Y., 2020. A real- time monitoring
system based on ZigBee and 4G communications for photovoltaic generation.
CSEE Journal of Power and Energy Systems, 6(1), pp.52-63.
[2] López-Vargas, A., Fuentes, M. and Vivar, M., 2018. IoT application for
real-time monitoring of solar home systems based on ArduinoTM with 3G
connectivity. IEEE Sensors Journal, 19(2), pp.679- 691.
[3] Kanakaraja, P., Upadhyay, S., Kotamraju, S.K., Suneela, G.V.S. and
Neelesh, R., 2021, February. Design and Implementation of Smart Energy
Meter using LoRa-WAN and IoT Applications. In Journal of Physics:
Conference Series (Vol. 1804, No. 1, p. 012207). IOP Publishing.

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