Agri PV - Remote Monitoring and Control by EcoPhi

Agri PV in General

Agri-Photovoltaik (PV) refers to a method where photovoltaic technologies are integrated into agriculturally utilized areas. This allows the area to be simultaneously used for the production of agricultural products and for the production of electricity through solar energy, in order to efficiently utilize the space. This can be done in various ways, with the installation of solar modules over agricultural fields being a common approach.

Agri PV technology has developed dynamically in recent years and has spread to almost all regions of the world. Combining both agriculture and electricity production on the same land automatically results in conflicting goals, as both agricultural production and electricity generation can be optimized. Therefore, intelligent monitoring and control mechanisms are needed to maximize the overall yield.

EcoPhi's Monitoring & Control System

Together with a partner company from the Netherlands, EcoPhi is developing an automated monitoring and control system for such plants. EcoPhi is responsible for the development of the remote monitoring and control system, which can be adapted to different variations and sizes of Agri-PV plants. The operation of the systems depends on several external factors, which have to be handled by the monitoring and control system. With the remote monitoring and control system, the plant can be automatically controlled on-site depending on the weather and crop data, e.g. the tilt of the solar modules can be changed dynamically if the plants need more sun or shadow. All data is transmitted via the mobile data network or Wi-Fi and stored locally. This allows to also track systems also in remote areas. Settings and controls can always be changed from remote via an online dashboard.

Key Facts

• Monitoring and control system for automated operation of Agri PV plants
• Inverter and grid readings
• External weather sensors, e.g. wind, irradiation, humidity, temperature
• On site control algorithms depending on sensor inputs
• Control of pumps, screens and tilt of the modules
• External weather data to provide recommendations for manual changes
• Remote control