GSM-based monitoring and control of photovoltaic power generation

This paper describes a system for the remote monitoring and control of complex stand-alone photovoltaic plants. In normal conditions, the system records and periodically reports the overall performances, whereas, in case of incorrect behaviors, it immediately informs the operators. Moreover, through appropriate instructions, users are able to modify some elements of the plant and the settings of the measurement system. In order to adapt the system to the specific operative conditions, several means of communications and plant configurations were investigated. However, for a more general, flexible and cost-effective implementation, the remote communications are based on the GSM network and, in particular, on the short text message service.