EPIC-RoofNet: A Sensor Network Testbed for Solar Irradiance Measurement and Analysis

Abstract

This paper describes the development of an experimental wireless sensor network (WSN) testbed for studying the nature of irradiance measurements at the sensor nodes that are deployed at different points in the WSN, and oriented differently depending on the deployment geometry. The network was developed on the roof of an academic building at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte), where the sensor nodes are equipped with pyranometer sensors to periodically collect the irradiance measurements at different points and send then to a centralized base station using multi-hop communication. The collected data is analyzed to demonstrate the spatial and temporal variation of energy availability at each individual node, resulting from the localized variations in the light levels.