Design of a Communication Network for Distributed Renewable Energy Generation Systems

Abstract

Renewable energy systems, which are intermittent energy production systems, cannot always operate at high efficiency due to their nature. Since specific amounts of energy must be spent for energy production, it is essential to estimate the time intervals when the efficiency of the energy source is high. In order to actively monitor the system health, the communication traffic must be transferred to a monitoring room where the technical teams can easily observe the operating data of the equipment in the energy-generating plants. It has been assumed that the energy needs of vocational schools affiliated with the university are met by solar energy systems previously installed by the university administration in their fields. Thanks to the simulation programs, a communication network that does not violate the standards published by the International Electrotechnical Commission for solar energy systems has been designed. Contrary to the methods most preferred in wide area networks like Telecommunication Company’s tariff, we preferred wireless communication technologies. By choosing comprehensive area network technology WiMAX and local area network technology WiFi, we passed the required performance criteria under the name of related communication standards.