Evaluation of an integrated low-cost pyranometer system for application in household installations

The climatic conditions of a region are a constant object of study, especially in our days as climate change is clearly affecting the way and quality of life, and are studied through meteorological data. Meteorological installations include a set of sensors to monitor the meteorological and climatic conditions of an area. Meteorological data parameters comprise measurements of temperature, humidity, precipitation, wind speed and direction, and instruments include oratometers and pyranometers, etc. Specifically, the pyranometer is a high-cost instrument that has the ability to measure the intensity of sunshine on the surface of the earth, expressing measurements in Watt/m². In this research work, both the implementation and the evaluation of an integrated low-cost pyranometer system are presented. The proposed pyranometer device consists of affordable modules: both the microprocessor and sensor. In addition, a central server, as an information system, was created for data collection and visualization. The data from the measuring system is transmitted via a wireless network (Wi-Fi), over the Internet, to an information system (central server), which includes a database for collecting and storing the measurements, and visualization software. The end user can retrieve the information through a webpage.