Monitoring and Control Using SIMATIC WinCC in Photovoltaic Power Plants

Photovoltaic Power Plants

Introduction: Renewable energy systems are an increasingly popular way to generate electricity. As with any new technological paradigm, new challenges have emerged which are unique to the utilization of renewable energy systems. One of these challenges in particular is the development of effective monitoring technologies to compensate for the decentralized nature of remote power generation. This project details the development of an opensource monitoring system for remote solar power systems. The problem space that this project is specifically concerned with deals with the reduction of cost and the use of openplatforms to make solar monitoring viable in developing countries where both the resources and general knowledge required to undertake such efforts are particularly scarce. Currently, solar monitoring technologies are expensive, limited in their application, and for the most part proprietary. It is arguable that such systems can be developed using non-customized hardware and open-source software that can be obtained and run anywhere in the world. This project is one such argument.This proof of concept is sufficient to show that solar remote monitoring is neither expensive nor particularly cumbersome to implement and thus warrants further investigation and development by the open source community.

CONFIGURATION:

S7-1200 Control Station

Main control room PC with SCADA

Compact Switch Module Inverters Modbus TCP/IP

Modbus RS 485

Trivector Meter

Revenue Meter

Multi Function Meter

MET Station

ABOUT THE SYSTEM: Monitoring and control of any system is indispensible for the proper functioning of a plant. Here this is achieved by SCADA based PC placed in the main control room, where each and every component is monitored, and S7-1200 PLC from SIEMENS which acts as the main controller.

I. PLC

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Make: Siemens Model: CPU 1214C. Bit processing speed 0.1micro Sec. Timers, counters each 256. 14 Digital inputs. 10 Digital outputs (24V DC ) 2 Nos. Analog inputs (0-10V DC ). Program memory 50KB, Data memory 1MB. 6 High speed counter 3 @100 KHz, 3 @ 30 KHz. 2 Pulse Train outputs/ Pulse Width Modulated Outputs with a frequency up to 100 KHz. Optional Memory Cards (2MB, 24MB) Ethernet Communication interface (TCP/IP Native, ISO on TCP) Inbuilt Real time Clock PID Controller up to 16 PID Control loops with Auto tuning facility. Expansion by communication Interfaces RS232 & RS485 (Modbus).

PLC Open Motion function blocks Supports the open-loop speed and position control of stepper motors and servo drives. * Optional 1 signal board (1AO OR 2DI/DO) for low-cost modular controller expansion directly on the CPU, with retention of the mounting space. * Max Local I/O Digital 284 /Analog 51 * Max Signal Module 8

CENTRAL MONITORING AND CONTROL Following components are communicating via various protocols to the main controller (S7-1200) and SCADA based remote control room. Inverters Trivector Meters Revenue Meters Met Station Multi Function Meters Nos. No. No. No. No.

Note: Qty will be varying based on the capacity of Solar Plant. The Trivector meter, MFM, Revenue meter, MET stations are all based on MODBUS RS 485 protocol. For this a communication module (CM 1241, RS 485/422) is attached to the main controller. All the critical parameters from these maters are visualized on the PC screen with the aid of SCADA. Inverters are communicating via MODBUS TCP with the controller. Since the number of RJ 45 ports available in the CPU is limited a Compact Switch Module is used. It is through the switch, the PLC, PC and Inverters communicate. All the inverter parameters like DC currents at the inputs of each inverter DC voltage at the inputs of each inverter AC current at the output of each inverter AC voltage at the output of each inverter Output measurement at the output of each inverter Energy measurement at each inverter are monitored and controlled by the SCADA based system. Considering an inverter with 4 DC voltages at the input, Measured values per inverter with four inputs: 4 DC current values 1 DC voltage value 3 AC current values 3 AC voltage values 1 power value at the input 1 power value at the output This makes 13 measured values per inverter.

Below figure (Fig.1) shows the typical tasks of a monitoring and control system. As well as populating the graphical user interface with current values, tasks include saving all measured values, pre-processing them, and long-term analysis of trends. There is an interface for reading and writing inverter parameters. Since PV power plants are usually located in rural areas, it must be possible to monitor them via a remote control center and operate them from a distance.

Fig.1 (Note: Additional costs will be incurred if notifications via mobiles required)

SIMATIC WinCC is plant visualization software on the Microsoft Windows platform. This software is used for monitoring and controlling PV power plants with SINVERT inverters and it offers all the functions shown in Fig.1. Note: Siemens SCADA can be used for monitoring third party Inverters which supports Modbus RTU/Modbus TCP.

BRIEF ON THE METERS CONNECTED:

TRIVECTOR METER: It is a multi-purpose unit which integrates several functions and replaces various equipments for metering energy parameters. Trivector meter can measure active power ,reactive power ,apparent power i.e.with the help of a single meter we can measure kva,kw,kvar. The power triangle is sum of (kW , kVAR, kVA) and the meter which gives readings all of the above variables is called TRI vector meter.

REVENUE METER: It is used to measure kWh consumption, voltage, current, power, power factor, Hz. It helps in calculating the tariff for energy used. It records historical energy value (kWh & kvarh) data of the past 31 days/ 12 months. It supports various protocols so that it can communicate with other devices.

MULTI FUNCTION METER: With this one can combine all the meters together in a centralized location and check data in real time. The outstanding attribute of these meters is that these eliminate the need for maintaining two separate energy meters for dual source energy metering. They offer unmatched safety to the customers by disconnecting the electrical supply, if the load exceeds a certain limit.

MET STATION: A met station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for observing atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, wind speed, wind direction, and precipitation amounts. Wind measurements are taken as free of other obstructions as possible, while temperature and humidity measurements are kept free from direct solar radiation. Measurements Wind Speed and Wind Direction Met Station One uses a three cup anemometer, for accuracy, sensitivity, and durability. The cups are connected to a shaft, which turns a sensing element that converts the rotation into a series of electronic pulses. The basic operation is based on the proven 014 Wind Speed Sensor. A lightweight vane tail provides the motive power for the wind direction portion of the sensor. As the vane tail moves it turns a shaft on a pair of bearings. That shaft

turns a sensing element that converts the rotation into analog voltage. Wind Speed Range 0 50 m/sec Wind Speed Resolution 0.1 m/sec Wind Speed Accuracy 2% Wind Direction Range 0 360 Wind Direction Resolution 1 Wind Direction Accuracy 5 Threshold, both Speed & Direction 1 m/sec Temperature and Humidity Both Temperature and Humidity are built into the temperature shield at the bottom of the sensor. The integral shield limits errors due to solar radiation. The RH sensor is a capacitive element enclosed in a protective membrane. Temperature Range -40C to +60C Temperature Resolution 0.1C Temperature Accuracy 0.5C Relative Humidity Range 0-100% Relative Humidity Resolution 1% Relative Humidity Accuracy 4% Barometric Pressure A solid state pressure sensor built into the sensor electronics provides accurate measurement of barometric pressure changes over a wide range. Electronic temperature compensation is included for highest accuracy over the operating temperature of the sensor. Measurement Range 500 1100 mbars Measurement Resolution 0.1 mbar Measurement Accuracy 2 mbars INVERTER: solar inverter, or PV inverter, converts the variable direct current output of a photovoltaic (PV) solar panel into a utility frequency alternating current that can be fed into a commercial electrical grid or used by a local, off-grid electrical network. It is a critical component in a photovoltaic system, allowing the use of ordinary commercial appliances. Solar inverters have special functions adapted for use with photovoltaic arrays, including maximum power point tracking and anti-islanding protection. Whether for large industrial roofs, free-field plants or solar power plants solar power can now be used even more efficiently: With the new three-phase SINVERT PVS photovoltaic inverters. With these inverters, you will attain peak efficiency factors of up to 98.7% and European efficiency factors of up to 98.4% with solar power conversion for in feed into the grid. The SINVERT PVS devices are operated in inverter stations in accordance with the master/slave concept by Siemens which has been tried-and-tested for over a decade. This principle guarantees maximum system availability, a particularly long service life and optimized efficiency

GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE During construction of the PV power plant, the graphical user interface at the WinCC client can be configured by the project engineer in such a way that all the plant status information is represented. Fig.2 shows the example of a graphical user interface with information about the medium-voltage components of a PV power plant with three inverter stations. In this example, other topics can also be called up such as information about the power plant (Plant Overview, System), the inverter stations (Container), trend curves (Curves), and individual inverters. For operator control and monitoring via the Internet, a Web Navigator server is set up on the WinCC PC, and a Web Navigator client is set up on any PC with an MS Windows operating system. Thus, it is possible to view and operate the WinCC user interface via an Internet browser with ActiveX support without the need for installing WinCC components on the client PC. As well as the basic configuration, the WinCC plant visualization software also offers additional options for expanding the range of functions. These include the Alarm Control Center and the DataMonitor.

Fig.2

OPTIONS: 1) WinCC Alarm Control Center WinCC offers the Alarm Control Center (ACC) option that transmits pre-configured messages in the case of a fault or event. Message lists can be setup, defining who is to be informed of which events. If the notified person does not respond within a defined time frame, further personnel or agencies can be informed. The information can be sent optionally by e-mail or SMS. Fig.3 shows a typical list of fault messages on the WinCC client.

Fig.3

2) WinCC Data Monitor The optional WinCC Data Monitor (Fig.4) provides a collection of tools for interactive display and analysis of current process states, historic data, and messages from the WinCC database. These tools help in analyzing the PV power plant and in documenting its performance capability. WinCC plant views can be displayed via the Process Screens function using Microsoft Internet Explorer. The logging tool provides messages and current or archived process values in the form of a CSV file. In this way, further analyses can be made using other software tools such as Microsoft Excel or MATLAB. The central WebCenter information portal automatically generates print jobs from WinCC reports and prepared Excel workbooks. Users can configure and save their own screen views on a WebCenter user interface.

Fig.4

SUMMARY: Continuous monitoring and control of large PV power plants is the requirement for consistently high yields and thus for economic success. Only early detection of faults and creeping wear and tear make it possible to provide rapid remedies, minimize reductions in yield, and avoid yield failures. For monitoring and remote operator control of PV power plants, Siemens offers specially prepared hardware and software components. These components form a sound tool for displaying the status and energy flow in the PV power plant with maximum transparency, and enabling operator control from a remote control center.