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Are you new to SCADA systems? Get an introduction to the IoT SCADA and why it's a game-changer in the solar industry 🚀 This article is part of our biweekly newsletter on LinkedIn📬
Previously, PLC based SCADA systems were widely used in the Solar PV Industry. Nowadays, you are more likely to hear about the new SCADA system; the IoT SCADA. IoT based SCADA systems are gaining its market share in the Solar PV industry because it addressed several shortcomings of the PLC based SCADA.
While the PLC SCADAs lead time for supply, installation and commissioning is more than two months, the IoT SCADA takes less than a month. Not only has the IoT SCADA a much shorter onboarding period, it also allows IPCs and O&M businesses to operate the plant from a greater distance. As we see a global digitalization and companies expanding their fields of business, it’s not difficult to understand why many companies are transitioning to the new system. PLC SCADA runs on local servers at site and are not accessible from the company’s HQ or a remote terminal, whereas the IoT SCADA sends data from the plant to cloud platforms using 2G/3G/4G/5G or BB networks. This allows real time plant data to be accessed from anywhere in the world, and from any web connected device for monitoring, controlling and performing analysis. Further on, the IoT SCADA provides automated, customized and accurate reports and equipment breakdown alerts to all key stakeholders, which is not possible with the PLC based SCADA system. To top it off, IoT with local storage and cloud storage can ensure zero data loss for the entire lifetime of the project.
The performance of Solar Power Plants needs to be monitored in real time to ensure the maximum yield of the Solar PV Plant and notify the breakdown of equipment. To ensure that all the equipment at Solar Plant is performing as per the design, to get energy generation as expected to achieve the desired ROI. Real-time Remote Monitoring is essential to maximize the plant performance, which provides equipment ranking, performance reports and guidelines to the onsite O&M team to schedule maintenance activities, spare parts management and module cleaning activities.
The IoT SCADA system provides automated, customized and accurate reports of generation and performance on both a weekly and daily basis, which saves a lot of effort for engineers and technicians and eliminates manual errors in the report. Furthermore, IoT provides equipment breakdown alerts, which are beneficial for the on-site O&M team to attend breakdowns quickly and increase the generation of the plants. The IoT platform can also help the on-site team with tracking activities, spare management, warranty tracking and plant performance management.
While the IoT SCADA is created to simplify and globalize management of a solar site, is can also augment the creation of a digital twin, virtual power plant and energy as a service platform to manage all sources of energy supply and manage consumption (for load and storage). In terms of simplifying and digitalize the stream of data, IoT allows easy data exchange and integration with the clients ERP system for billing, collection, revenue and financial analysis for the lifetime of solar assets.
Not only does the IoT SCADA system optimize daily operations of existing plants, but the platform is also beneficial for future projects. It provides key inputs for future plant design and key components selection for particular geographical locations, based on historic data of O&Ms performance in a specific region. It can also support in accurate energy forecasting and equipment breakdown predictions for efficient scheduling of energy, and optimal performance of plan respectively.
We provide all types of products and solutions for Solar PV plants, whether they are on rooftops, ground mount or floating PV plants, for performance monitoring, controlling, analysis and reporting at an affordable price using in-house developed hardware, firmware and software.
Contact our team to discover how we can work together to optimize your solar assets, or read more about Skyfri Intelligence here.
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