The use of solar farms is on the rise and they are proving themselves to be wise investments. Solar power is a huge, reliable and renewable source of energy. The fact that it can reduce your carbon footprint and save you a lot of money in the long run are both viable reasons as to why so many are getting their feet wet in the solar industry.
The IoT Goes Solar
Like any other energy source, monitoring the output of that energy is vital to harvesting the energy in the most efficient way possible. The Internet of Things can help out with that (at this point, I’m convinced there isn’t much it can’t improve). When using IoT-enabled monitoring for solar farms, each and every solar panel can be directly maintained. You can be notified any time there is an issue with a panel, know exactly which panel is malfunctioning, know what the precise problem is and immediately send out maintenance teams to resolve the issue.
Maximizing Efficiency
Another way The IoT can help with maximizing the efficiency, and therefore the profitability of a solar farm is forecasting. Based on historical data, IoT enabled monitoring can predict energy output and forecast the best ways to manage the solar farm based on the anticipated conditions. These conditions can include weather, annual power consumption, current output from each panel, etc.
The output of solar farms in past years has generally been measured simply in total energy output, however, now thanks to The IoT, much more specific parameters can be reported and used to solar farmers’ advantage. IoT-enabled sensors on individual panels can monitor not just energy output, but also panel temperature, the angel a panel is tilted, and the direction each panel is facing.
Solar Farming: It’s Never Been Easier
The IoT gives solar farm managers the ability to maintain their farm in the most profitable way currently possible. They can manage and record data from each and every panel they own instead of trying to guess why their farm is not performing at the level they wish. Thanks to The Internet of Things, solar farming has never been easier or more efficient.
