TITLE:
Solar Driven Wind Speed Monitoring System Using Wireless or Wired Sensors
AUTHORS:
Federico Hahn, Mauricio Pablo, José Reyes
KEYWORDS:
Wind Tower, Wireless Anemometers, Battery Regulator
JOURNAL NAME:
Energy and Power Engineering,
Vol.6 No.9,
September
10,
2014
ABSTRACT: Instrumented towers are being constructed to characterize vertical wind profiles in order to improve the understanding and characterization of a desired environment up to 100 m. The site being measured is at a height of 2500 m over sea level, in one side of Sierra Madre Oriental, which crosses Mexico from North to South. As the site has no energy, it was powered by a photovoltaic system. Power consumption of two sets of sensors fixed at the tower was evaluated. The first sensor set consisted of a pulsed anemometer and a RH sensor having a 0 - 10 V output; these sensors used cables for transmitting the output signals. Three cup anemometers fixed at 25, 35 and 45 m high measured wind speed. Wireless sensors in the second set, requires of a power consumption and battery life study. Solar cells energized the sensors, becoming the installation and operation easier. The datalogger that acquired the RH and T measurements encountered an 11% voltage loss throughout the cable; cup anemometer measurements did not show variations due to its pulsed signals. Wireless sensors drew less energy from the PV system, resulting in battery overcharge. A dump regulator turned-on a 200 W lamp during the night when the battery voltage reached 14 V; the lamp was turned-off when the battery voltage felt beneath 11.5 V. Considering the high wind available, wireless sensors batteries were charged by small wind turbines combined with 5 W solar panels.