Real-Time Monitoring System for a Utility-Scale Photovoltaic Power Plant
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Author
Moreno-García, Isabel
Palacios García, Emilio
Pallarés López, Víctor
Santiago, Isabel
González Redondo, Miguel Jesús
Varo-Martínez, Marta
Real Calvo, Rafael Jesús
Publisher
MDPIDate
2016Subject
Photovoltaic distributed generationPower quality
Real-time monitoring
Embedded systems
Wireless sensor network (WSN)
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Show full item recordAbstract
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.