Real time electrical data monitoring of photovoltaic panels with Raspberry Pi

In recent years energy demand has increased dramatically due to increasing populating and technological advancements. Alternative energy sources have gained importance since fossil fuels are costly, have limited reserves and give harm to the environment. Many scientific researches have been conducted on alternative energy sources and it is aimed to decrease the use of fossil fuels. Solar, wind, hydroelectric and geothermal energies are among the main alternative energy sources. Solar energy is used in many energy sources to generate electricity except nuclear and geothermal energy sources. Therefore, to generate electricity from solar has been more attractive with the recent investments and cost regulations. Photovoltaic (PV) panels are used to generate electric energy from solar energy. The energy efficiency varies depending on the location of the panels, seasonal and environmental changes. On the other hand, the efficiency of the panels will be maximum when sun rays fall on the panels with direct angle. Although the solar energy reaching a per square meter in the outer atmosphere is constant, some of the solar energy falling on the earth are absorbed and reflected back by the atmosphere and the clouds. Therefore, the panels should be tracked throughout the day by single or two axis solar tracking systems in order to increase the efficiency while benefiting from solar energy. However, some components of solar tracking systems such as engine and driver consume energy continuously and this is the main drawback of the system. Therefore, PV panels should be placed with an optimum fixed tilt angle to extract maximum power from PV panels. Solar radiation level falling on the panels varies depending on the location of the panels and the time durations in a day. As a result, the tilt angle of the panels varies in different regions and they differ monthly, seasonally and annually. Within this scope, PV panels are placed at 10°, 20°, 30°, 40°, 50° and 60° and monthly, seasonal and annual optimum tilt angles for Bilecik city are determined to extract maximum power from solar. Keywords: Raspberry Pi, Photovoltaic panel, Fixed tilt angle, Data acquisition.