# Democratization of PV Micro-Generation System Monitoring Based on Narrowband-IoT
###### Abstract  
Power system configuration and performance are changing very quickly. Under the new paradigm of prosumers and energy communities, grids are increasingly influenced by microgeneration systems connected in both low and medium voltage. In addition, these facilities provide little or no information to distribution and/or transmission system operators, increasing power system management problems. Actually, information is a great asset to manage this new situation. The arrival of affordable and open Internet of Things (IoT) technologies is a remarkable opportunity to overcome these inconveniences allowing for the exchange of information about these plants. In this paper, we propose a monitoring solution applicable to photovoltaic self-consumption or any other microgeneration installation, covering the installations of the so-called 'prosumers' and aiming to provide a tool for local self-consumption monitoring. A detailed description of the proposed system at the hardware level is provided, and extended information on the communication characteristics and data packets is also included. Results of different field test campaigns carried out in real PV self-consumption installations connected to the grid are described and analyzed. It can be affirmed that the proposed solution provides outstanding results in reliability and accuracy, being a popular solution for those who cannot afford professional monitoring platforms. photovoltaic microgeneration; NB-IoT technology; monitoring network; Internet of Things +
Footnote †: journal: Sensors  
0000-0002-222-4966-0000-0000-0000-0000-0000-0000-0000-0000-0000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-00000-000000-00  
reliable RES integration is a remarkable challenge to be solved by power systems in the coming years [6]. Actually, high RES integration is included in the Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET Plan) of the European Union--see Activity 4: Operation and diagnosis of Photovoltaic Plants, highlights the digitization of the energy sector as a fundamental and crucial element for the EU [7]. In parallel to the current developments of technology, digitization offers new opportunities for system operators and facility managers and maintainers by optimizing the operation of their assets, reducing their operating costs and allowing greater renewable integration. In this context, real-time medium- and low-voltage grid monitoring and control under the new technologies will lead to significant improvement of grid efficiency and hosting capacity [8]. Moreover, local and timely management of distributed resources and self-consumption installations will be the key to ensure efficiency and stability at the distribution and the operation level [9]. Among the different solutions, PV self-consumption systems constitute a remarkable challenge for distributed generation contributing to future smart grids [10]. With regard to solar PV monitoring technologies, various review contributions can be found in the specific literature from different points of view [11; 12; 13]. Nevertheless, both environmental and technical factors can significantly affect the PV power generation--partial shading due to moving clouds, module temperature, humidity, the mounting angle, etc. Further explorations are then required to design an effective solar PV monitoring technology [14]. In addition, the use of monitoring systems in large-scale PV systems can be justified despite their high costs [15]. However, monitoring systems in medium and small PV installations may address additional and high costs unacceptable to most users. For this reason, data acquisition and monitoring solutions using low-cost platforms have been widely proposed in recent years [16]. The advance of technologies such as IoT and Industry 4.0 have allowed the implementation of new monitoring solutions as an alternative to traditional centralized systems. These solutions mainly aim to detect anomalies of PV solar plants and for maintenance purposes.