Design perspective of multi-channel data acquisition and logger system for CPV technology

The world demand for alternative energy source has increased with the consumption of energy increasing tenfold in the past five decades. Solar power generation is one such alternative, and Concentrated Photovoltaic Technology (CPV) is one of the two main technologies used for producing electricity from Concentrated Solar Power (CSP). Meteorological parameters such as solar irradiance and cell temperature when the sunlight is concentrated on the CPV module influence the efficiency of the CPV power generation systems. Additionally, the output power of a CPV plant must be measured and monitored to improve the condition of plant, again in terms of efficiency and reliability. Firstly, in this paper, the significance of the meteorological parameters and the CPV system parameters are discussed. This is followed by a description of proposed multichannel data acquisition and logger for CPV technology. Experimental results have proven a good level of accuracy of the proposed system in terms of the acquired meteorological parameters and CPV system parameters.