“Smart Photovoltaic” Classic IoT Architecture
The classic IoT architecture of “Smart Photovoltaic” is a system that integrates multiple advanced technologies and aims to achieve efficient, safe and intelligent management of photovoltaic power stations.
The following is a detailed introduction to the architecture:
Overview
The “Smart Photovoltaic” IoT architecture adopts a typical IoT architecture model, consisting of three parts: perception layer, network layer, and application layer. This architecture is based on intelligent communication technology and relies on advanced technologies such as cloud computing, big data, and digital twins to provide photovoltaic power stations with real-time information monitoring, diagnosis and analysis, fault alarm, operation and maintenance management, and other functions, thereby achieving safe, low-carbon, and efficient smart photovoltaic management.
Perception layer
The perception layer is the foundation of the smart photovoltaic IoT architecture, and is mainly responsible for the intelligent perception and identification, information collection and processing, and automatic control of various equipment and environments in photovoltaic power stations.
This layer mainly includes the following components:
Sensor network:
- Current sensor: monitors the current output of photovoltaic modules to ensure that the current is stable and in line with expectations.
- Temperature sensor: monitors the temperature of key equipment such as photovoltaic modules and inverters to prevent overheating and equipment damage.
- Tilt sensor: used for intelligent tracking brackets to ensure that photovoltaic modules always face the sun and maximize the absorption of solar energy.
- Irradiometer: measures the intensity of solar radiation and provides a basis for photovoltaic power generation power prediction.
- Wind speed and direction sensor: monitors wind speed and direction to provide environmental data support for the safe operation of power stations.
- Infrared thermal imaging: used for temperature monitoring at night or under low light conditions to assist fault detection.
Smart devices:
- Photovoltaic modules: Photovoltaic modules with intelligent monitoring functions can provide real-time feedback on working status and performance parameters.
- Inverter: Smart inverters can automatically adjust working status, optimize power conversion efficiency, and have fault diagnosis and self-protection functions.
- Energy storage system: includes battery packs and energy storage controllers, which are used to store and regulate electric energy and improve grid stability and power supply reliability.
Network layer
The network layer is responsible for information transmission, routing and control between the perception layer and the application layer. This layer mainly includes the following technologies and equipment:
Communication technology:
- Wired communication: such as Ethernet, optical fiber, etc., for high-speed and stable data transmission.
- Wireless communication: such as Wi-Fi, 5G, LoRa, etc., suitable for the connection and data transmission of long-distance and distributed devices.
IoT gateway:
- As a bridge connecting the perception layer and the application layer, the IoT gateway is responsible for data aggregation, processing and forwarding. It supports a variety of protocol parsing to ensure interoperability between different devices.
Cloud platform:
- The cloud platform provides data storage, processing and analysis capabilities, and supports efficient processing and real-time response of large-scale data. Through the cloud platform, functions such as remote monitoring, fault diagnosis and predictive maintenance of photovoltaic power stations can be realized.
Application layer
The application layer is the top layer of the smart photovoltaic Internet of Things architecture, directly facing users and managers, and providing rich application services. This layer mainly includes the following functional modules:
Monitoring center:
- Real-time display of the operating status, power generation, equipment status and other information of the photovoltaic power station. Through the graphical interface, users can intuitively understand the overall situation of the power station.
- Support alarm function. When the equipment fails or an abnormal situation occurs, it will promptly issue an audible and visual alarm and notify relevant personnel to handle it.
Data analysis and prediction:
- Use big data and artificial intelligence technology to deeply mine and analyze the operating data of photovoltaic power stations to find potential problems and optimization space.
- Provide photovoltaic power generation power prediction function, and predict future power generation and power generation efficiency based on historical data and meteorological information.
Operation and maintenance management:
- Realize remote operation and maintenance management of photovoltaic power stations, including equipment inspection, troubleshooting, maintenance scheduling and other functions. Improve operation and maintenance efficiency and response speed through smart wearable devices and remote express line technology.
- Support equipment ledger management, work order management and other functions to achieve standardization and standardization of operation and maintenance work.
3D visualization:
- Based on digital twin technology, 3D modeling and visualization of photovoltaic power stations are carried out. Users can inspect the power station scene from a third-person perspective and view the equipment status and operation status in all directions without blind spots.
- Set up video monitoring points and alarm points in the three-dimensional scene to achieve real-time monitoring and alarm response.
Intelligent decision support:
- Relying on big data analysis and artificial intelligence technology, provide a scientific basis for the operation and decision-making of photovoltaic power stations. Through the data-driven decision support system, help managers make more reasonable and efficient decisions.
Summary
The classic IoT architecture of “Smart Photovoltaics” realizes efficient, safe and intelligent management of photovoltaic power stations through the organic combination of perception layer, network layer and application layer.
This architecture not only improves the power generation efficiency and operation and maintenance efficiency of photovoltaic power stations, but also reduces operation and maintenance costs and safety risks, providing strong support for the sustainable development of the photovoltaic industry.
With the continuous development and application expansion of IoT technology, the “Smart Photovoltaics” IoT architecture will be further improved and optimized to provide more comprehensive and in-depth solutions for the intelligent management of photovoltaic power stations.
How to find a photovoltaic IoT platform?
The IoT Cloud Platform is an IoT knowledge platform created by the Chinese IoT technology team. Focusing on the sharing of off-grid photovoltaic IoT and grid-connected photovoltaic IoT technology knowledge. The IoT Cloud Platform is a professional IoT technology service organization that provides an IoT public communication platform for global IoT companies.
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
It is recommended to choose system accessories certified by nationally approved certification agencies to ensure product quality and performance.
The specifications and technical parameters of the product should match the design of the photovoltaic power station system, and the key components and raw materials should be consistent with the certified products.
The grid-connected voltage is mainly determined by the installed capacity of the system, and the specific grid-connected voltage needs to be determined according to the access system approval of the power grid company.
Generally, households choose 220V to access the grid, and commercial use chooses 380V to access the grid.
You can use a power quality analyzer to test the power quality at the power station grid connection point to see if it meets the national standard requirements.
If it meets the requirements, the photovoltaic grid-connected system is stable.
After the power grid is outage, the household distributed photovoltaic power generation system will generally exit operation and cannot generate electricity normally.
To prevent the occurrence of islanding, the distributed photovoltaic system must have an anti-islanding function.
Not necessarily. If the same power metering equipment with the same accuracy is used at the same grid-connected point, the data may be consistent.
But in most cases, the monitoring equipment used by the photovoltaic grid-connected system is different from the metering equipment, resulting in data gaps.
It is not recommended to install a wire mesh. Qualified photovoltaic modules have passed relevant collision tests, and the installation of a protective mesh may cause local shadows on the modules, forming a hot spot effect and affecting power generation efficiency.
Insufficient top-level design: Many small and medium-sized enterprises are still in a relatively early stage of development and lack a clear strategic design.
Insufficient data application capabilities: backward data infrastructure and lack of advanced digital technology and tools.
Gap in compound digital talents: Compound talents who understand both digital technology and photovoltaic business are in short supply.
The degree of automation of photovoltaic equipment is low: the degree of automation of some production links is not enough, which affects the effect of digital implementation.
The smart photovoltaic Internet of Things architecture usually includes the following four main layers:
Perception layer: As the bottom layer of the Internet of Things architecture, it is mainly responsible for collecting various operating data and environmental parameters of photovoltaic power stations, such as the power generation efficiency of photovoltaic modules, the operating status of inverters, ambient temperature, humidity, etc. The perception layer equipment includes photovoltaic modules, inverters, environmental monitoring sensors, etc.
Network layer: Responsible for transmitting the data collected by the perception layer to the platform layer for processing and analysis through wired or wireless communication technology. The network layer needs to ensure the security, reliability and real-time performance of data transmission. Commonly used communication technologies include optical fiber, LoRa, Zigbee, etc.
Platform layer: Based on cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence and other technologies, the received data is centrally stored, processed and analyzed. The platform layer provides visual data support to help users remotely understand the operating status of photovoltaic power stations in real time, including power generation, equipment status, environmental parameters, etc.
Application layer: Provide users with various power Internet of Things services, such as equipment management, operation and maintenance workbench, data analysis reports, etc. The application layer supports users to conduct efficient operation and maintenance management and decision analysis, and improve the operating efficiency and reliability of photovoltaic power stations.
The smart photovoltaic Internet of Things architecture ensures the security of data transmission through the following measures:
Encryption technology: Use advanced encryption technology to encrypt the transmitted data to ensure that the data is not illegally intercepted and cracked during the transmission process.
Authentication mechanism: Establish an authentication mechanism between the network layer and the application layer to ensure that only authorized users and devices can access and transmit data.
Firewall and intrusion detection system: Deploy firewalls and intrusion detection systems at the platform layer to filter and monitor data entering the system to prevent malicious attacks and data leakage.
Security audit and logging: Perform security audit and logging on all data transmission activities so that problems can be tracked and located when security incidents occur.
The smart photovoltaic Internet of Things architecture supports the intelligent operation and maintenance of photovoltaic power stations in the following ways:
Remote monitoring: Provide remote monitoring function, allowing users to view the operating status and equipment parameters of photovoltaic power stations in real time through the platform layer, and discover potential problems in time.
Intelligent analysis: Using big data and artificial intelligence technology, the operation data of photovoltaic power stations are deeply mined and analyzed to provide intelligent services such as fault diagnosis, performance evaluation, and power generation prediction.
Automated operation and maintenance: Through the integration of automated control systems, the automated operation and maintenance of photovoltaic power station equipment is realized, including automatic cleaning, automatic inspection, automatic fault handling, etc., to improve operation and maintenance efficiency and reduce labor costs.
Mobile applications: Develop mobile applications so that users can access the operation data and management interface of photovoltaic power stations through mobile phones or tablets anytime and anywhere, and realize mobile office and remote management.
The main challenges facing the smart photovoltaic Internet of Things architecture include:
Data security and privacy protection: With the development of Internet of Things technology, security issues in data transmission and storage have become increasingly prominent. How to ensure the security and privacy protection of user data has become an important challenge.
Equipment compatibility and interoperability: Photovoltaic equipment produced by different manufacturers may have compatibility issues, resulting in the inability to smoothly access or data cannot be correctly transmitted in the Internet of Things architecture. Solving equipment compatibility and interoperability issues is crucial to building a unified Internet of Things platform.
Network stability and reliability: PV power stations are usually located in remote areas, and the network environment is complex and changeable. How to ensure the stability and reliability of the network layer and avoid data transmission delays or interruptions has become a major challenge.
Operation and maintenance management and talent training: With the expansion of the scale of PV power stations and the improvement of their intelligence, the complexity of operation and maintenance management has also increased. How to efficiently manage and maintain the equipment and systems in the IoT architecture and cultivate talents with relevant professional knowledge and skills has become an important task.
