Different approaches for communication systems in large-scale PV and CPV installations

The importance of communication and control systems of large-scale photovoltaic (LSPV) systems will increase in the future mainly due to two facts: cost reduction potential taking into account the latest technological trends, and higher requirements caused by more sophisticated monitoring and control applications. After analyzing the actual industrial state of the art, this paper identifies new approaches considering latest developments in communication technology as well as research activity on applications with similar requirements. Three new approaches for large-scale photovoltaic tracker (LSPVT) systems are analyzed: based on power line communication (PLC), wireless mesh network (WMN), and an advanced Ethernet solution. Positive and negative aspects are elaborated for each approach and can be taken into consideration for designing new LSPVT systems or demonstration projects. Therefor this paper is to develop a first step to a more adequate, cost-efficient and future-prepared solution for communication and control systems of LSPVT plants.