Monitoring of microclimate underneath agrivoltaic systems using IoT sensor station

Abstract: Agrivoltaic systems work on the principle of combining farmland with Photovoltaic energy conversion giving the land it sits on dual purpose. Moreover, by combining solar electricity conversion and crop production additional benefits such as water saving and, in some cases even higher crop yields compared to open field conditions. For this technology to be wildly implemented a deeper understanding on the effects the agrivoltaic system has on the underlying farmland is required. In this work, an IoT sensor station used for monitoring albedo, temperature, and humidity inside an agrivoltaic system is developed. The work is carried out through researching and testing electrical components that is to be used inside of the monitoring station as well as development of the code used by the microcontroller to communicate between the different sensors. The prototype station was then tested a total of three times at Kärrbo Prästgård and the gathered data compared with pre-installed sensors located at the testing site. After each test run the IoT stations performance was analyzed for potential improvements to be implemented before subsequent tests. The final design of monitoring station showed a high accuracy in the albedo data during daytime with some deviations during early mornings and late afternoon due to the inherit limitations in the sensitivities of the electrical components used to measure solar radiation.