Presented by: Aerel Rankin, Business Systems Analyst
Remote Monitoring and Predictive Diagnostics of Remote Power Systems
Thursday, November 5, 2015
www.sunwizepower.com
Today’s Presenter Aerel Rankin
Business Systems Analyst
Background B.S. Mechanical Engineering,
University of Washington
Graduate Research University of New Mexico (wind) Sandia National Labs (fuel cells)
Areas of Interest
Solar Energy, Wind Energy, Fuel Cells, Business Analysis
• About SunWize Power & Battery • What is Off-Grid Solar? • What is Remote Monitoring? • Why use Remote Monitoring? • How does Remote Monitoring Work? • TCP/IP (Ethernet) vs RS-232 (Serial) • Other Options & Considerations • Questions
www.sunwizepower.com
Presentation Overview
• 20 years of off-grid design & manufacturing experience with installations on 7 continents
• Range of pre-manufactured and custom PV-battery, hybrid and battery-backup based systems
www.sunwizepower.com
SunWize Power & Battery
SunWize Power systems are used in a diverse range of industries and applications
www.sunwizepower.com
• CCTV
• Traffic Monitoring
• Lighting
• Surveillance
• FAA Lighting
• Work Zone Cam
• Call Boxes
• Video
Surveillance
• Message Boards
• Construction
• Cellular Repeaters
• Microwave
Backbones
• Military
Communications
• Cell Towers
• Relay Networks
• Traffic Control
• Signal Equipment
• Access Controls
• Two-way Radio
• RTU/SCADA
• Telecom Networks
• Water Pumping
• Environmental
Monitoring
• Navigational Aids
• Border Security
• Kiosks
• Perimeter Security
• Fence Charging
PV-Battery System Based Applications
• Battery – VRLA sealed lead-acid batteries • Controller – Charging for batteries • Array – Solar modules on mounting • Watts – Unit of power • Volts – Drives design for system • Amps – Measurement of current • Amp-Hours – Stored energy in a battery • DOD – Depth of Discharge (%) (battery) • SOC – State of Charge (%) (battery)
Basic Solar Definitions
Equipment in a remote location?
Operating in harsh conditions?
Is the price of power too expensive?
Is your site unattended year-round?
Critical load applications?
Why Solar?
• Remote monitoring and control refers to a field of industrial automation that is entering a new era with the development of wireless sensing devices. Initially limited to SCADA technology, remote monitoring and control refers to the measurement of disparate devices from a network operations center or control room and the ability to change the operation of these devices from that central office.
What is Remote Monitoring?
• Remote monitoring has been available commercially in utility scale solar for some time (Draker, AlsoEnergy, Swinerton, etc.)
• Factors such as increased cellular service coverage, decreasing solar costs, and reduced data costs, among many others, are making remote monitoring available to end users for even small and medium sized off-grid power systems
What is Remote Monitoring?
• Analyze faults or alarms remotely
– Allows you to order replacements immediately, minimizing downtime
– Be prepared with right equipment on first site visit, minimizing site trips
• Download log files to look at recent history
– Units store last 60-90 days data onboard for remote troubleshooting, prevent site trip
Why Remote Monitoring?
• Get low voltage alert sent to you automatically
– Combine system information with weather forecasts to respond to outages before they happen, prevent system failure
• Control relays and functions remotely
– Have the power to control specific devices through relays, turn on & off loads, and perform other advanced functions remotely, save costs compared to alternative solutions
Why Remote Monitoring?
• There are many ways to remotely monitor a power system, some more simple than others
• We’ll discuss one possible solution in detail, there are other considerations we’ll touch on briefly
• Our focus will be on Morningstar TriStar Charge Controller features & capabilities. Other manufacturers, such as Outback Power, have their own integrated monitoring solutions
How Does it Work?
• The setup that we will be discussing today is comprised of the piece parts shown below
• The connection between cellular modem and controller is TCP/IP (Ethernet) or RS-232 (Serial)
• Data connection requires Static (Fixed) IP Address
Simple Off-Grid Remote Connection
• Any Windows machine with MSView software
• A MODBUS compatible cellular modem
– Digi Connect WAN 3G IA (C1D2, DIN, DC)
• Morningstar TriStar 60A MPPT Controller
Simple Off-Grid Remote Connection
• Verify that there’s good cellular service at site the system will be installed at (check with carrier)
• Have Access Point Name (APN) and Fixed IP
• Make sure to account for your cellular modem load, if you’re powering it off of the system
• LAN (Ethernet) and/or RS-232 (Serial), check!
Suggestions Before Starting
• The first connection type we’ll discuss is the simplest – it uses a standard Ethernet cable connection between the cellular modem and the solar charge controller and communicates via TCP/IP
TCP/IP Connection, TriStar 60A MPPT
Four Steps to make remote connection
• 1. Get Modem Online
• 2. Set TriStar Network Settings Using Switch
• 3. Enable Port Forwarding on Modem
• 4. Attempt Remote Connection from MSView
TCP/IP Connection, TriStar 60A MPPT
• SIM card in modem, power on, connect Ethernet
• Enter gateway IP, ex. 192.168.1.1, in browser
• Enter APN in the mobile configuration, apply
• Verify that you’re able to get online using modem
TCP/IP Connection, TriStar 60A MPPT 1) Get Modem Online
• Plug modem, PC, and TriStar in Ethernet switch
• Enter ‘tsmpptxxxxxxx /test.html’ into browser, where x’s are serial number of TriStar
TCP/IP Connection, TriStar 60A MPPT 2) TriStar Network Settings
• Navigate to the port forwarding area, as below
– Enter gateway IP in the browser again, go to IP forwarding
TCP/IP Connection, TriStar 60A MPPT 3) Port Forwarding for Modem
• Verify the DHCP IP range (Ex: 192.168.1.100 -131) of your modem is not inclusive of the static IP address of the Controller, ex. 192.168.1.50
TCP/IP Connection, TriStar 60A MPPT 3a) Other Settings to Check
• Change the Web Server TCP Port on the modem to 8080 (recommended) to prevent overlap with the use of Port 80 to access the remote HTTP connection
TCP/IP Connection, TriStar 60A MPPT 3b) Other Settings to Check
• Disconnect all connection cables from the PC
• Enter your Static (Fixed) IP and Control Address
TCP/IP Connection, TriStar 60A MPPT 4) Attempt Remote Connection
MODBUS Server ID =
Control Address
• Once successful, you’ll see the icon on the left of MSView turn green for your Controller device
TCP/IP Connection, TriStar 60A MPPT SUCCESS!
• The second connection type we’ll discuss is Serial (RS-232) – This connection type is available with all TriStar models, not just the 60A MPPT, but typically involves several additional modem changes
RS-232 Connection, ANY TriStar
Differences compared to Ethernet (TCP/IP)
• 1. Enable RealPort (or other Serial Emulator)
• 2. Run RealPort Setup on PC
• 3. Attempt Remote Connection from MSView
RS-232 Connection, Any TriStar
• Navigate to Configuration/Serial Ports
• Change Profile from TCP Sockets to RealPort
RS-232 Connection, Any TriStar 1) Enable RealPort for Serial Emulation
• Download and Run RealPort Software on PC
• Modem IP, # of Ports=1, Port=771, Modem INF
RS-232 Connection, Any TriStar 2) Run RealPort Setup on PC
• Once successful, you’ll see the icon on the left of MSView turn green for your Controller device
RS-232 Connection, Any TriStar SUCCESS!
• Default Gateway: Ex 192.168.1.1 (Modem)
• Service Static IP: Ex 166.130.XXX.XXX (Carrier)
• Controller Static IP: Ex 192.168.1.50 (TriStar)
• DHCP IP Range: Ex 192.168.1.100–192.168.1.131
Summary of IP Addresses
Summary of Ports • Modem: 8080 (Web Server), 771 (RealPort)
• Controller: 80 (HTTP), 502 (MODBUS Port)
• Access Point Name (APN): Ex i2gold (Carrier)
– To Access internet from modem
• Mobile Phone #: Ex 541-745-8901 (Carrier)
– May only show up on bill as reference
• Username/Password: Optional (Carrier)
• IMEI / MAC Numbers: (Modem)
Summary of Other Info
• Cellular vs Satellite (No Cell) vs Radio (P2P) • Networking Options (RJ-11, MeterBus)
– display data for multiple controller systems – communicate with a TriStar Meter 2 or Remote Meter 2 – communicate with a Relay Driver
• Controller Network Accessories – MSC (RJ-11 to RS-232), RSC-1 (RS-232 to EAI-485)
• Multi Device Monitoring Setups (EIA-485) • Relay Driver Use (RD-1)
Other Options & Considerations
EIA-485 Multi-Device Monitoring • Monitor multiple devices on a EIA-485 network
using the TS-60A MPPT as the gateway
• Static IP • MODBUS • Gateway IP • APN • DHCP Range • Web Server Port • Port Forwarding • RealPort
• MSView • Internet • RealPort
• Static IP • Network • COM • MODBUS • TCP/IP or RS-232
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