Internet of Things based Solar Energy Solutions: Applications, Trends and Future Scope

Today, solar is the fastest growing renewable source in the energy sector. Companies are expanding their business by offering solar which is the most energy-efficient and profitable source of energy.

On the other hand, the IoT is one of the fastest-growing trends in technology which allows all machines to connect and communicate with each other.

Here comes the concept- Solar based IoT which is an amalgamation of implementing renewable sources and digitization methods.

In the industrial sector, the optimum use of IoT makes products more energy efficient. Digitizing and harnessing solar energy are anticipated to simplify industrial processes for end-users and power producers. This would finally allow consumers and producers to gain maximum returns from their investment. Furthermore, solar-based IoT products are capable of tracking energy consumption so as to avoid its wastage.

Lastly, IoT will improve the efficiency of solar and make them more accessible by reducing possibilities of failures and delays, enhancing productivity, improving real-time decision making, solving critical problems and creating new and innovative experiences in the solar energy industry.

Global Solar Based IoT Market: Key Drivers and Restraints

The global solar based IoT market is expected to prosper with the growing developments in technology along with digitization.
Another driver responsible for the growth of solar based IoT market especially in the industrial sector is that the optimum use of IoT makes products more energy and material-efficient.
Developments such as digitizing and harnessing solar energy are anticipated to simplify industrial processes for end-users and power producers. This would finally allow consumers and producers to gain maximum returns from their investment.
Furthermore, solar-based IoT products are capable of tracking energy consumption so as to avoid its wastage. The aforementioned drivers contribute to the growth of solar based IoT market globally and these factors are expected to drive the demand for the global market in the forecast period.

Role of IoT gateways in home & industrial grid systems?

The IoT gateway enables extensive connectivity to HAN or BAN (home area networks or building area networks) protocols such as ZigBee, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, BACnet, and LAN. Devices or sensors can connect to gates which in turn connect to clouds. This allows the user to remotely access sensor data from any location at any time on their mobile device.
AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) / Smart Meter is playing a vital role in the grid system’s energy management. It collects real-time energy consumption data from devices, and then this data is analyzed via ANI, a gateway connected to AMI. Gateway control increases the system output or command message required. The message can be an alarm, an HVAC control message, or any other utility management command. This enables communication between the device and the AMI system. The combination of AMIs connected to HAN or BAN and the IoT gateway results in a smart grid system.
It helps to analyze the energy consumption of each device, which helps the user to manage the device up / down. Users can access historical data from the cloud – insights such as which device consumes more data and what time of day it is, and how they can further optimize their energy use.

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