Solar panel performance monitoring system in sensor node

In Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) system, a power supply capable of harvesting energy independently is a very crucial component considering WSN commonly installed in a remote area far from the utility grid. The development of effective and efficient power supply is still ongoing because sensor node works continuously in real-time. The quantity of sensor node is also the reason why its power supply must be as effective and efficient as possible, thus relatively lower its cost. This paper discusses a system to monitor the performance of photovoltaic power supply from sensor node in a WSN system. The observed parameters are temperature, irradiance, current, and voltage. The system divided into 3 main blocks which are, client, server, and communication system. The client has sensors, RTC, local display, backup data logger, and microcontroller. The communication devices are radio-frequency module, Xbee. The server is a PC software developed using LabView software.