This application note on Solar Power Plant use Temperature Transmitters is courtesy of our friends, Acromag. Should you require any further information on this application, contact us.
The Problem
A renewable energy company requires a weather station to provide meteorological data to their proprietary SCADA system at Solar Power Project Sites in Ontario, Canada.
System Requirements
The renewable energy company offers performance guarantees based on site analysis. Therefore, monitoring weather conditions is vital to optimising performance.
Columbia Weather Systems (CWS) were able to offer a turnkey solar power solution incorporating Acromag 801T-1500-C Universal Temperature Transmitter
- The Weather Station consists of an Orion Sensor Module, panel temperature sensor and two solar radiation sensors (One at plane of array and another on a tracker).
- System is connected through the CWS Weather MicroServer
- Weather Station uses an Acromag 801T-1500-C Amplifier to amplify the solar sensor output to higher voltages suitable to the MicroServer’s inputs and applies individual sensors’ sensitivities
- The Acromag Temperature Transmitter also contains a limit alarm. It includes a programmable relay control. As this is used to turn on and off sensor heaters to minimise the effect of dew and ice.
Acromag Featured Products: Solar System use Temperature Transmitters
801T-1500-C: Universal Input Intelligent Temperature Transmitter with limit alarm and relay
How did Acromag solve the problem?
According to Joe Brotherton, the manager of the technical services team for Swinerton Renewable Energy, the CWS product incorporating the Acromag Temperature Transmitter was a success because “We like the price point, always get a response, and it integrates easily into our SCADA system”.
Image is courtesy of Industrial Electrical Contractors. The image shows the weather station installation. With two radiation sensors one at plane of array and one at GHI, as well as the Orion Weather Sensor Module on the Mast. Lastly, mounted below the mast are the Acromag Temperature Transmitter & Microserver.