Development and Performance Comparison of AC and DC Data Logger for Solar PV Application in Agriculture

Abstract

Energy demand has outpaced energy supply. The use of renewable energy is one solution to this energy demand - supply imbalance. For better utilization of energy at the rural areas, a study was conducted to compare the performance of solar systems with and without inverter. The design and development for a low-cost ac and dc data recorder for PV systems is presented in this study. The data logger prototype consists of a micro converter, SD card, and current and voltage sensors. It measures the daily power usage of both ac and dc appliances. The data logger is interfaced with a personal computer, a mobile device, and an LED display, and it provides the daily energy consumption, the average energy consumption, the charging and discharging conditions, and system failure information. The designed hardware was tested under variety of load and no-load conditions, and the graph for various parameters both ac and dc appliances were then analyzed. This technology captures data in milliseconds with human-impossible precision. Microsoft Excel can aggregate all data and generate a graph for each microsecond, which enhances accuracy, eliminates human error, and saves time. This will improve the economy and make them more energy independent.