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

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SunWize Power & Battery

SunWize Power systems are used in a diverse range of industries and applications

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SunWize Power systems are installed where remote power is needed the most

• 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

• Provides reliable 24/7 power 365 days a year

What is a PV-Battery Based System?

Typical Hybrid Power System Overview

• 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!

• Setup a state view to see real-time parameters

TCP/IP Connection, TriStar 60A MPPT

• 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

Relay Driver RD-1 • Turn on or off devices automatically based on

threshold or alarm programming

• 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

www.sunwizepower.com

Presented by: Aerel Rankin, Business Systems Analyst

Thank You!