PowerLab - Solar Panel Platform
This 4th-year project (P4A) aimed to install, monitor, and test a photovoltaic platform. I was responsible for the sensors: selecting, installing, and measuring phenomena such as creep and thermal expansion on the metal structures. The team handled monitoring of the panels and inverters, data collection and analysis, and overall coordination with POwR Group.
General Platform Overview
Mechanical Study
Data Visualization
General Platform Overview
The PowerLab platform, installed on the roof of the JLab building, consists of mono- and bifacial photovoltaic panels. Its purpose is to study and optimize energy production under real conditions, while collecting data to evaluate the performance of different panel types and technologies.
Mechanical Study
I conducted the study of mechanical stresses on the panel rails and mounts. I calculated material expansions under temperature variations and assessed the resulting internal forces. These analyses concluded that the stresses remained well below the fatigue and elasticity limits of the materials, making the installation of force sensors unnecessary. This step was crucial to ensure the platform’s durability and safety. However, a phenomenon of creep persisted due to vibrations from the surrounding environment.
Data Visualization
The team collected and monitored the electrical performance of all panels using a virtual machine and the Grafana application. They configured supervision modules to visualize energy production in real time and assess the impact of environmental conditions. These analyses allowed correlating electrical performance with environmental data and identifying potential critical areas on the platform.
