Fabless semiconductor company, GreenPeak Technologies has introduced a novel wireless control and monitoring solution for solar panels that allows individual panel management. The solution can track and control individual panel parameters and also provide data about the generation of electricity.
Accurate information about the electricity generated is useful for consumers and the solar energy industry. It will help design and develop more economical and efficient solar energy systems.
GreenPeak’s wireless communication controller chips are part of a wireless smart junction box that can control and monitor solar panel installations from a remote device or a central unit. The box provides more detailed and current information. Most domestic solar panel systems do not allow monitoring of individual panels. They can only provide data about energy consumption month-wise.
New legal requirements that are being introduced stipulate that solar panels should have the facility to be switched off individually when situations such as natural calamities occur. Rooftop solar panels possess high DC voltages and they can affect personnel providing emergency services. The wireless smart junction boxes can be attached to each solar panel and they can be used for switching off solar panel substrings or individual panels. The data obtained allows system owners to schedule cleaning and maintenance according to the status of the solar panels.
A GUI software application can be used to display the information collected from individual solar panels. Smart phones or mobile applications can be used to diagnose and control the solar panel system when problems occur.
GreenPeak also provides complete reference designs for solar panel control.