Low-cost web-based Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system for a microgrid testbed: A case study in design...

Area of Science:

• Electrical Engineering
• Renewable Energy Systems
• Control Systems

Background:

• Microgrids require robust control and data acquisition for stability and energy management.
• Existing Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems can be expensive for research laboratories.
• Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems (HRES) integrate multiple sources, increasing system complexity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and implement a low-cost, web-based SCADA system for a Hybrid Renewable Energy System (HRES) microgrid.
• To provide reliable control and data acquisition for the Renewable Energy Laboratory at Universitat Politècnica de València.
• To enable research on microgrid stability and energy generation using an affordable, custom-developed system.

Main Methods:

• Developed a web-based SCADA system using Arduino and Raspberry Pi.
• Integrated sensors and power meters for electrical parameters (voltage, current, frequency, power).
• Utilized NRF24L01 transceivers for wireless communication between slave and master devices.
• Established data logging via a local MySQL Web-DB linked to an HTML5 web interface.

Main Results:

• The developed web-based SCADA system demonstrated reliability for controlling, monitoring, and data logging.
• Operative tests confirmed the system's effectiveness in managing the HRES microgrid.
• Cost analysis showed the system to be, on average, 86% cheaper than standard SCADA solutions.

Conclusions:

• The designed low-cost, web-based SCADA system is a reliable and affordable solution for HRES microgrids.
• This development supports research in microgrid stability and energy generation at a reduced cost.
• The system facilitates both local and remote operation and data management for renewable energy testbeds.