Evaluation of Electromagnetic Emissions at a Photovoltaic Installation through Application of a Robotic Platform

Solar-based electrical power depends upon arrays of solar cells to produce voltage—direct current (DC) voltage. To operate equipment requiring alternating current (AC), or to connect to a utility’s distribution system, photovoltaic (PV) systems depend upon power electronic converters—devices that chop DC voltage into an approximation of an AC sine wave. Such devices, called inverters, operate at speeds that may produce radio frequency (RF) emissions (also known as electromagnetic interference, or EMI) over a broad range of frequencies. Photovoltaic installations may cover large swathes of territory. How may these emissions be identified, located, and monitored effectively and how may the effectiveness of any mitigation efforts at specific locations be assessed at a future date at the same specific locations? The Autonomous Mobile Measurement Platform (AMMP), a mobile measuring platform first developed to take repeatable measurements of multiple, interior building conditions (light, temperature, air quality, EMI, and others), was adapted for measuring EMI in the outdoor environment, such as at a PV installation. The focus of this paper concerns the application of the AMMP to survey, measure, and record for later analysis EMI conditions at specific points within a PV site— and the repeatable measurement of EMI at those same points in the future.