Presentation Details
Arabella: An Embedded IoT Environmental Monitoring System with Real-Time Solar Power Impact Tracking

Maksim Rabinovich, Michael Goryll, Christiana Honsberg.

Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA

Abstract


Environmental conditions can reduce photovoltaic energy yields through optical losses from airborne particulates and through atmospheric conditions that influence system operating behavior, yet real-world location-based characterization data is scarce. This paper presents Project Arabella, an embedded Internet of Things (IoT) platform designed to evaluate photovoltaic (PV) performance using one-axis solar tracking and integrated environmental sensing. The modular system incorporates dual lux sensors, atmosphere monitors (temperature, humidity, pressure), particulate matter sensors (PM2.5 & PM10), and Modbus telemetry from a Renogy charge controller. Over a two-month deployment in suburban Arizona, more than 100,000 data points were collected and aggregated into 10-minute intervals. Statistical analysis identified humidity as the dominant factor reducing charging efficiency, while PM2.5 & PM10 produced negative but statistically insignificant correlations (−0.67 W per μg m-3, p = 0.22). The results indicate that in arid, low-particle regions, humidity-related constraints outweigh dust-induced optical losses, underscoring the need for localized PV performance monitoring to inform modeling and adaptive tracking strategies. Furthermore, this project’s open-source framework enables scalable deployment for comparative climate studies, supporting the broader integration of IoT in sustainable energy research.  

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