Low-Cost, Open-Source, Emoncms-Based SCADA System for a Large Grid-Connected PV System

Abstract

This article describes a low-cost Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system for a PV plant with local data logging. Typically, SCADA systems that are available on the market are proprietary (commercial), which are expensive and individually configured for a particular site. The main objective of this paper is to design a low-cost and open-source monitoring solution (hardware and software) to meet the requirements. The hardware used for this SCADA consisted of Arduino, Raspberry Pi, sensors, serial communication cables, and an open-source web view platform. This open-source platform manipulates, logs, and visualizes PV and environmental data. Emoncms runs on the Debian operating system. Field instruments were connected to two remote terminal units (RTUs). A PV array provided data to the RTU1, while an inverter output provided data to the RTU2, and the Raspberry Pi received the collected data in JSON format. As these data arrived, Emoncms used Emonhub as its main module, which refines data and then displays it on Emoncms’s WebView. The Raspberry Pi also stores data locally. Data logging was tested for 6 h, but the final results showed that data logging can last much longer. From an hour to a year, the data trend can be viewed on a user-friendly dashboard.