Development of a cloud-based renewable energy monitoring platform

Obtaining and maintaining large-scale datasets of actual measurements of a variety of different parameters typically requires significant effort by researchers or individuals. The monitoring of distributed renewable energy production across a wide geographical area is no different in this aspect. The increasingly pervasive availability of digital communication makes it possible to develop a computer system to automate these tasks. This paper describes the architecture of a large-scale multi-parameter Distributed Energy Monitoring System (DEMS) developed by Ghent University, which is currently being deployed in Flanders. Preliminary experiences with the rollout of this system are given, as well as relevant insights into the development and deployment of a general Wide-Area Measurement System (WAMS) for all kinds of energy production and consumption.