Copyright 2013 by American Scientic Publishers

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Printed in the United States of America
Energy and Environment Focus
Vol. 2, pp. 326330, 2013
(www.aspbs.com/efocus)

Low Cost Solarimetric Station with Solar Resource

Calculation Based on Arduino Microcontroller and
Web Platform
Oscar H. Salinas1, , P. J. Sebastian2 , Angel Estrada1 , and Martha E. Luna Ortz1
1
Divisin Acadmica de Tecnologas de la Informacin y Comunicacin, Universidad Tecnolgica Emiliano Zapata del
Estado de Morelos, Av. Universidad Tecnolgica No. 1, colonia Palo Escrito, Emiliano Zapata, Morelos, Mxico,
52-777-368-1165, C.P 62760
2
Instituto de Energias Renovables, Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico, Privada Xochicalco S/N, Col. Centro,
Temixco, Morelos, Mxico, C.P. 62580

ABSTRACT
A low cost web solarimetric station tool was developed using an educational solar panel and Arduino microcon-
troller. Data are shown at Web platform, doing the accessible anywhere anytime, data are also shown at real
time. The level of condence is high due to the proposal was calibrated with specialized equipment to moni-
ARTICLE

toring Irradiance level. The developed web tool performs automatic data acquisition of the open circuit Voltage
(VOC ) from the solar panel, as well as temperature level measurement. Low cost microcontroller Arduino is the
data acquisition device, it sends VOC measurements obtained from the solar panel, and temperature from a
thermocouple. Data are sent by wireless connection into a web data base. After data are obtained, processed
Delivered by Ingenta to: Alma Jordan Library, The University of the West Indies - St Augustine
and analyzed performing the IP: programmed calculations.
64.28.140.231 On: Wed,Results
01 Novcan be21:18:05
2017 shown in the Web platform as a table
or as a graphic, depending on theCopyright:
user requirement, data are updated every fteen minutes. Historical data
American Scientific Publishers
are also available on the Web platform with some period of time limitations. Data can be consulted on different
Operative System platforms, such as Windows, Android or iOS, it means data can be consulted even in mobile
devices. The integration of low cost open source software and hardware tools was successfully done to build
an automatic data acquisition system for Irradiance and temperature in-situ of the university campus.
KEYWORDS: Irradiance, Temperature, Arduino, Web Platform, Mobile Devices, Low Cost.

1. INTRODUCTION which unique limit is being the imagination.4 Sun is the

Along the human kind history there is a constant interest
for the human beings to measure the physical phenom-
ena. This is done to understand why they occur, and also
to propose some solutions or prevent people about natural
disasters. In the eld of materials there are also different
parameters that are measured, for example, mechanical
resistance, electrical conductivity, etc. Is why special-
ized equipment must be designed and build to obtain the
information required. Most of the time this equipment is
expensive since it is no accessible for universities with low
budget. Currently there are available a lot of low cost of
hardware and software tools to design useful solutions for
different type of applications. This huge revolution started
at 1947 with the invention of the solid state transistor.13
This is opening a wide open horizon about applications
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Email: oscarsalinas@utez.edu.mx
Received: 15 September 2013
Accepted: 8 November 2013
main source of energy available in the earth, is the ori-
gin of all other sources into the earth. Measure the solar
resource available at each region is an important data to
calculate the amount of energy. It used to be done using
specialized equipment which is no low cost and most of
the times are outside of the budget for universities of
emerging countries. Sun has always attracted a lot of atten-
tion from human beings in many different ways, going
from mystic to scientic. From its interaction with the mat-
ter come some interesting light behaviors, named optical
phenomena of light.5 Observing this interaction Alexan-
dre Edmond Becquerel discovered that there is a relation-
ship between two kinds of energies, the Electromagnetic
and Electrical ones, He discovered the Photovoltaic (PV)
effect, at 1839.2 Solar Cells works based on the PV effect
to harness part of the solar energy,3 transforming the Elec-
tromagnetic energy into electrical energy, generating an
Electrical Potential. Albert Einstein in 19056 7 and Walter
H. Shottky in 1930 explained in a very detailed manner the

326 Energy Environ. Focus 2013, Vol. 2, No. 4 2326-3040/2013/2/326/005 doi:10.1166/eef.2013.1073

Salinas et al. Low Cost Solarimetric Station with Solar Resource Calculation Based on Arduino Microcontroller and Web Platform
scientic principles about the interaction of light with the
materials and the physics of the semiconductor devices,
respectively.13 810 Most of the solar cells are built based
on silicon material; about 83% of the PV market is monop-
olized by crystalline silicon material (c-Si). This is why
some industries are able to build some educative solar pan-
els of low cost to be used in a demonstrative manner the
interesting PV effect. For instance, this educative mate-
rial can be used to design and build some low cost sys-
tems, with Web platform view. About electrical behavior
of Solar cells there are two important parameters: Short
Circuit Current density (JSC , and Open Circuit Voltage
(VOC .9 8 The modied Shockley equation for JSC is:
qV 
JSC = J + I0 e nkT 1
This is obtained from the modied Shockley law, and for
cero potential applied and without resistances issues.9 1214
Temperature is an important parameter according with the
Eq. (1), is why is also a parameter that must be monitored
to understand the electrical behavior. For open circuit con-
ditions, Eq. (1) can be modied:
nkT I VOC and JSC parameters can be monitored to calculate
VOC = ln L + 1
q I0
Both of Delivered
them can bybe Ingenta to: Alma Jordan Library, Theing
monitored in the educative Solar
panel to obtain estimation aboutIP:
the64.28.140.231 avail-Wed,demonstrated
Solar resource On:
able in some specic place. To do Copyright: American Scientific
this it is necessary
an automatic data acquisition system (DAQ), which used
to be an expensive equipment. But there are some low
cost alternatives to be used for DAQ. One of them is the
low cost microcontroller Arduino Uno.15 It is an open
source electronic card, with easy handling, programming
Fig. 1. Arduino and Web platform, low cost tools to obtain Irr and Temperature.
Energy Environ. Focus, 2, 326330, 2013
and electronic circuit building, Figure 1, shows the com-
plete process using the proposal hardware and software.
Arduino is able to sense some physical parameters
like temperature, light intensity, mechanical force, and so
on, receiving analog inputs from the adequate sensors;
being able to control lights, motors and other kinds of
actuators.15 Therefore the educative Solar panel can be
connected to one or more of the six analog inputs of
the Arduino Uno card for monitoring the JSC and or VOC
parameters, directly or through a test resistance, respec-
tively. The view of the collected data is an important issue
since handling and observing the Solar resource behavior
is the objective of designing and building DAQ systems.
Web platform view can be designed to show the data as
(1) a table or graph in real time, also data can be stored and
requested later to do some analysis or just for information.
The integration of this three low hardware and software,
Figure 1, can be applied for monitoring different kind of
physical parameters.
2. EXPERIMENTAL DETAILS
ARTICLE
(2)
the Irradiance level (Irr) available at the place. Irr can be
described as the amount of electromagnetic energy strik-
the surface
University of any
of the Westkind of material,
Indies and it has been
- St Augustine
01 Nov 2017that it depends upon the intensity of the light
21:18:05
Publishers
as well as the distance of the light source.12 According
to the Solar spectrum air mass 1.5,9 the total energy con-
tent available at the earth surface is about 84 mW-cm2 .13
Numerical values of both of them depend on the Inten-
sity of the energy entering on the Solar cell structure.
VOC as well as JSC are related with Irr,9 12 13 so either
327
 Low Cost Solarimetric Station with Solar Resource Calculation Based on Arduino Microcontroller and Web Platform Salinas et al.

of them can be monitored to estimate the Solar resource

available in some specic place. Educative Solar panel
was calibrated using a pyranometer, Figure 2, which is
the adequate or standard measurement instrument for Irr.
The Calibration process had been performed at Instituto de
Energas Renovables of Universidad Nacional Autnoma
de Mxico (IERUNAM). Solar panel calibration pro-
cess is performed in an experimental manner integrating
different knowledge skills. Voltage data are obtained in a
coordinate way from the pyranometer and the educative
Solar panel; both are stored in a worksheet.
Pyranometer data is processed with specialized equip-
ment, and processed with commercial software to be
showed at IERUNAM web page. Data from the educa-
Fig. 3. Mathematical analysis and electrical circuit to obtain calibration
tive Solar panel are processed in the worksheet to obtain constant.
the calibration constant. The process to obtain consists
in a simple regression linear analysis from of Irradiance
WiFi shield Arduino is able to connect with any Wireless
level versus measured voltage (Irr vs. V) graph. Low cost
Network Access Point available (WNAP). The process for
hardware and software combined with basic analysis make
showing Irr data in a Web platform is performed follow-
the proposal procedure and tool an easily transferable and
ing four steps: collect data in real time from the calibrated
adaptable system. Irr level is obtained directly from a pyra-
educative Solar panel; send data by Wireless to be stored
nometer, and Voltage is measured at a test resistor ter-
ARTICLE

at data base; store data in the Web free service data base
minals, connected in parallel with Solar panel. Arduino
to be collected and showing information as table or graph
Uno is the proposed DAQ used in this work, due to its
according to user requirement.
functionality, low cost and easy to use. The proposal is
to use the DAQ notby
Delivered at Ingenta
laboratory
to: conditions,
Alma Jordanbut Library,
in open The University of the West Indies - St Augustine
environment. Therefore ArduinoIP: must send the dataOn:
64.28.140.231 Wed,3.
to be 01 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Nov 2017 21:18:05
stored by Wireless communication using Copyright: American
an Arduino WiFi Scientific Publishers
As is shown in Figure 3, there is correlation between
shield.15 Arduino Uno has a friendly programming inter- both parameters and also from the physics theory of Solar
face, and it is easy programming.16 By programming and cell devices and materials,9 11 12 that Irr depends on the

Fig. 2. Equipment and system used to calibrate the educative Solar panel.

328 Energy Environ. Focus, 2, 326330, 2013

Salinas et al. Low Cost Solarimetric Station with Solar Resource Calculation Based on Arduino Microcontroller and Web Platform

Fig. 4. Irr and temperature data at Web Platform view.

ARTICLE
materials electrical characteristics and also on the energy user is able to select an specic period to obtain data, and
source level, and the electrical potential (V ) depends on another possibility is going to be added, data will be able
the Irr. Inset shows the electrical circuit used to obtain the to export to a worksheet to user can analyzed and pro-
Delivered by Ingenta to: Alma Jordan Library, The University of the West Indies - St Augustine
calibration constant, voltage to be analyzed and processed
IP: 64.28.140.231 On: Wed,cessed
01 Nov according with its own requirements. Data can be
2017 21:18:05
is measured at resistor terminals. accessed from everywhere,
Copyright: American Scientific Publishers and using mobile devices, like
Regression analysis was performed and the calibration smartphones or electronic tablets, that use different Oper-
constant of the educative Solar panel was obtained with ative Systems.
success. After the linear regression analysis the following
equation was obtained,
4. CONCLUSION
Irr = 7201 3 V + 52 (3) An alternative functional low cost DAQ system was
Regression analysis factor of correlation is approximately designed and built based on open source software and
0.99, which means the curve is the one that best t hardware, to monitor and process Solar resource level
all data. The calibration constant is obtained calculating data. Designing and building this kind of tools require
the inverse value of the slope curve. Measurements were the integration of different skills and knowledge elds,
done all day during a week, using three educative pan- like interaction of energy and materials, sensors of physi-
els, the average value for the calibration constant is keSp = cal parameters, telecommunication engineering about elec-
143104 V/W-m2 , while the pyranometer one is 469 tromagnetic wave behavior, wireless communication, and
106 V/W m2 . It is important to clarify that, as is wide electronic and software engineering. All of them integrated
described at literature, there is an exponential relationship to build efcient, low cost and functional tools applied in
between JSC and Irr level, and a logarithmic relationship materials science and technology. Calibration process is
between VOC and Irr level.9 11 12 However in this case Volt- simple and involves basic knowledge about physics, mate-
age is measured at test resistor, inset of Figure 3, not rials and mathematics. It needs to be performed at least
directly from the Solar panel, i.e., it is not VOC . Therefore twice a year to avoid miss calibration. The proposed tools
in this case the analysis is based on a simple electrical work according to the planned objective; it is a set of open
circuit following the Ohms Law9 that establishes a linear source tools, combined in a reliable and efcient solution
relationship between Current Intensity and Voltage level, that allows creating a Web platform system of a low cost
with an electrical resistance as proportional constant. This Irr and Solar resource estimation station.
is the reason why Figure 3 shows a linear relationship and
no exponential or linear one. Once data are obtained from Acknowledgments: Authors want to thanks to engi-
the Solar panel, processed and analyzed, they are shown neers Jos de Jess Quiones and Jos Ortega from the
at a Web Page. User has options to select form Irradi- Institute of Renewable EnergyUNAM, and to the Stu-
ance level or temperature, or both of them, Figure 4. Also dents Gerardo Ren Rivera Figueroa, Ivn Sotelo Coln

Energy Environ. Focus, 2, 326330, 2013 329

 Low Cost Solarimetric Station with Solar Resource Calculation Based on Arduino Microcontroller and Web Platform Salinas et al.

and Francisco Javier Ocampo Gonzlez, of the UTEZ for
their enthusiastic and helpfully work.
References and Notes
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ARTICLE
7. A. B. Aronst and M. B. Peppard, American Journal of Physics
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Copyright: American Scientific Publishers

330 Energy Environ. Focus, 2, 326330, 2013