Browsing by Author "Fourie, Franco"

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    The development of a smart monitoring system for solar pv plants by employing AES-encrypted LoRa wireless sensor networks.
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2024-03) Fourie, Franco; Rix, Arnold J. ; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Detecting underperforming solar photovoltaic (PV) modules in large-scale installations is challenging, with over 25% of operations and maintenance costs stemming from inefficient maintenance. It is therefore crucial to detect problems within a PV installation as early as possible. This research project has developed an improved wireless monitoring system to enable timely diagnostics and future adaptability, addressing limitations in existing PV monitoring solutions. The implemented system consists of plug-and-play smart field nodes (SFN), a full-duplex gateway, and a web application. A listen before talk communication protocol is implemented to allow for network scalability. Furthermore, a new approach to developing modular, scalable firmware using the active object programming paradigm is introduced. SFNs periodically sample PV panel electrical parameters, temperatures, and battery voltage with a minimum accuracy of 0.68% for voltage, 5% for current, and ±0.5◦C for temperature. The data is encrypted using AES-128 and transmitted to the gateway via LoRa packets. The web application provides an intuitive interface to view real-time and historical SFN data for each PV panel. Field-testing exhibited good measurement accuracy and a 93% packet delivery rate across SFNs. The scalability for over 10 simultaneously communicating SFNs was successfully demonstrated, and further work includes improving the positional accuracy. In summary, the secure smart monitoring system successfully addressed key limitations in existing solutions through enhanced firmware modularity, easier installation, and an accurate universal modular system adaptable for future research. The accuracy and reliability exhibited in preliminary testing validates its potential for use in future solar PV research and development projects.