Solar Irradiance Measurement Meter using Arduino

This project uses an Arduino Uno, an Adafruit INA219 sensor, a voltage divider, and an LCD display to measure current, voltage, power, and irradiance of a solar panel. The results are displayed on both the serial monitor and the LCD.

Components

• Arduino Uno
• Adafruit INA219 Sensor
• Voltage Sensor Resistors (30 kΩ and 7.5 kΩ for voltage divider)
• Solar Panel 10Wp (260 mm x 350 mm)
• 10 kΩ/5Watt (R3, series with INA219 for current measurement)
• 16x2 LCD with I2C module

Circuit Diagram

1. INA219 Connections:

   • VCC to Arduino 5V
   • GND to Arduino GND
   • SDA to Arduino A4
   • SCL to Arduino A5

2. Voltage Divider Connections:

   • The positive terminal of the solar panel to the 30 kΩ resistor (R1)
   • The junction of the 30 kΩ resistor and 7.5 kΩ resistor (R2) to Arduino A0
   • The negative terminal of the solar panel to the 7.5 kΩ resistor and then to ground

3. INA219 Current Measurement:

   • Connect a 10 kΩ resistor (R3) in series with the load to the INA219 sensor. This resistor helps in measuring the current flowing through the load.

4. LCD Connections:

   • VCC to Arduino 5V
   • GND to Arduino GND
   • SDA to Arduino A4
   • SCL to Arduino A5

Libraries

• Wire.h: Used for I2C communication.
• Adafruit_INA219.h: Library for the INA219 sensor.
• LiquidCrystal_I2C.h: Library for the LCD.

Constants

• R1 and R2: Resistor values in kΩ for the voltage divider.
• luasPanel: Surface area of the solar panel in square meters.

Setup

• Initializes the serial communication at 9600 baud rate.
• Initializes the INA219 sensor and checks if it is found.
• Initializes the LCD and turns on the backlight.

Loop

• Reads the shunt voltage, bus voltage, and current using the INA219 sensor.
• Calculates power in mW using the INA219 sensor data.
• Reads the voltage from the voltage divider connected to the solar panel.
• Calculates the power in watts using the voltage from the solar panel.
• Converts the power to irradiance in W/m² using the surface area of the solar panel.
• Prints the measurements to the serial monitor every 10 seconds.
• Displays the irradiance on the LCD.

Output

The code will print the following data to the serial monitor and display the irradiance on the LCD:

• Bus Voltage (V)
• Shunt Voltage (V)
• Current (mA)
• Power measured by INA219 (mW)
• Solar Panel Voltage (V)
• Power calculated (W)
• Irradiance (W/m²)

Notes

• Ensure that the voltage divider is correctly connected to the Arduino and the solar panel.
• Adjust the resistor values (R1 and R2) if needed based on your specific setup.
• Ensure that the INA219 sensor is properly connected and initialized.
• Ensure that the LCD is properly connected and initialized.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License