Design and Implementation of an Open-Source SCADA System for a Community Solar-Powered Reverse Osmosis System

Area of Science:

• Environmental Engineering
• Water Treatment Technologies
• Renewable Energy Systems

Background:

• Commercial supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems are often proprietary, incurring high costs and lacking integrated alert functionalities.
• Limited availability of cost-effective and customizable SCADA solutions hinders the deployment of essential water treatment systems, particularly in community settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and implement an affordable, open-source SCADA system for a community solar-powered reverse osmosis (RO) plant.
• To develop a system with local data storage and analysis capabilities for secure, data-driven decision-making.
• To integrate an alert system for real-time status updates and notifications.

Main Methods:

• Utilized open-source technologies including Node-Red for programming and dashboarding, Grafana for data analytics, and InfluxDB for database management.
• Implemented a system architecture comprising field instrument devices (FIDs), remote terminal units (RTUs), and main terminal units (MTUs).
• Established serial communication for data transmission from FIDs to RTU and subsequently to MTU for local processing and storage.

Main Results:

• Successfully developed and implemented an open-source SCADA system for a solar-powered RO plant.
• Achieved local data storage and analysis, enhancing data security and enabling informed decision-making.
• Integrated a functional alert system through Node-Red for community notifications.

Conclusions:

• The developed open-source SCADA system provides a cost-effective and secure solution for managing community solar-powered RO plants.
• This approach enhances access to clean water by leveraging renewable energy and accessible technology.
• The system's modular design and local data handling offer a scalable and sustainable model for water treatment management.