Life Cycle Cost Analysis for Solar Energy Harvesting and Storage Options

Harvesting and managing energy is one of the challenges that comes with optimizing the use of renewable energy. IoT (Internet of Things) emerges as one of the current technologies capable of addressing this challenge. In this paper, sensor-converter-microcontroller (SCM) modules are used to monitor energy consumption and to assess the feasibility of using purely renewable energy to power a smart classroom based on the load curve of a 1-hp air conditioning unit, 30W light fixture, and general appliance outlet, monitored through Home Assistant (HA) and ESPHome. The SCM modules successfully allowed remote access to real-time current and voltage data, with the emulated solar system proving that an all-green energy source for smart classrooms is feasible as shown using the LCC analysis, only limited by available space for solar module installation.