In recent years, solar modules have gained a significant market share in the electrical energy markets. At TU Delft, researchers develop new solar cells that need to be tested at an outdoor test field. The current test field does not meet the varying solar module sizes and electrical specifications. Therefore, a new testing setup had to be developed.

The new setup comprises a server computer, which runs a database that stores the measurements. To measure the modules, the Open-source Photovoltaic Electrical Tool is used. The microcontroller on this device needed to be adjusted to monitor relevant temperatures.

This thesis describes the development of the PostgreSQL database. The database can synchronise weather measurements from an existing database, keep track of modules that were used, and save point and curve measurements of a solar module. It can do this live and retroactively. The supervisor script, developed using Python, is able to schedule the measurements and store the results in a CSV file. A log file is used to store information about errors, and if any errors occur during the operation, the administrator will be notified via email. Lastly, the firmware of the measurement tool was adjusted to monitor the temperature of a power dissipation device and a solar module. If the temperature of the power dissipation device exceeds the configured limit, the output of the solar module will be disabled.

The end result enables users to access the database remotely and collect data about their solar module. The new system has been validated by a set of pass/fail tests conducted on a separate laptop. The final server for the outdoor testing facility, which runs the program, has yet to be deployed for researchers to use. ... Read more