iDigi™ Solar Farm Application
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As the world’s demand for energy has increased dramatically, a new breed of high-tech farmer has sprouted up to address the need for alternative energy sources. Energy farms can supply power using renewable resources such as solar, wind and water, yet these farms face many challenges that may prevent them from being viable options.
Traditionally, solar farms have used fixed solar panels to harness the sun’s energy. As the sun moves, the amount of energy the panels can collect is greatly minimized, as the panels catch the sun’s intensity at only certain parts of the day. Energy farmers face the challenge of monitoring and controlling the solar panels so that they may gather energy more efficiently.
At this year’s Embedded Systems Conference in Silicon Valley, Digi® introduced the iDigi™ platform, an on-demand hosted service that quickly and easily connects remote assets to a customer’s applications. Digi also presented a solar energy farm demonstration to illustrate how the iDigi platform and products from the Rabbit® and Digi brands make it possible for solar panels to track the sun and to be in the optimal position for harnessing the sun’s energy.
The Rabbit BL4S100 single-board computer provides three important functions: monitoring, control and networking. On the solar panel apparatus, two light sensors facing opposite each other monitor the sun’s position. The sensors send data to the BL4S100 via analog inputs. The information is then analyzed and compared to values defined as the optimal position. A motor connected to the BL4S100 via PWMs will begin to turn and tilt the solar panel until the senor reads the optimal position.
The BL4S100 takes frequent readings from the sensors so that the solar panel is kept in the most efficient position, which effectively maximizes the amount of solar energy harnessed throughout the day. The amount of energy that is harnessed, as well as positioning of the mirrors, is transmitted wirelessly via a Digi XBee® ZB ZigBee module that is integrated on the BL4S100 board. The XBee module creates a low-power, self-healing wireless mesh network. The information from the BL4S100 is transmitted to a Digi ConnectPort™ X4 wireless gateway, which sends the information to the iDigi platform. Solar farmers are now able to monitor how much power is generated and used remotely via the iDigi platform from any terminal in the world.
The iDigi platform will prove to be a compelling solution for today’s green applications. To see a video of the solar demo at ESC Silicon Valley, please visit http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid18392170001?bctid=18405467001.
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