Irradiance Sensor With Analog Output
This Irradiance Sensor is used to measure the radiation flux density of Solar PV Plants having an Analog Input Datalogger. Besides Irradiance, it includes also an Internal cell Temperature Sensor. It is supplied along with Mounting Bracket and Cable.
WORKING PRINCIPLES
A silicon solar cell can be used as an irradiance sensor, because the short-circuit current is proportional to irradiance. Our sensors are built out of a monocrystalline solar cell connected to a shunt. Due to the low resistance of the shunt the cell operates next to short circuit.
The temperature coefficient of the short-circuit current creates a small error. The compensation is realized by using a temperature sensor laminated to the rear side of the solar cell. The measuring signals of short- circuit current of the cell and the resistance value of the temperature sensor are measured by a micro controller. The calculated values of irradiance and temperature given onto a 4-20mA protocol. The electronic circuit is optimized for low power consumption.
CONSTRUCTION FEATURES
Monocrystalline Cell: The cell is laminated with 2 EVA sheets, one Tedlar sheet and 3mm tempered glass under 180 °C homogeneous temperature and under vacuum effect. The size of the monocrystalline cell is 52×52 mm² or 31x31mm².
Sensor Box: It is an UV protected aluminum box. The sensor box has two opening access and the mounting holes on its sides are for easy site installation. There are three options for IP Class; IP54, IP65 and IP68. For ventilation purpose, there are 1mm holes at bottom side of the box, or a ventilation plug on its side.
TECHNICAL DATA
| General Information | |
| Reference Cell | Monocrystalline Silicon (52 mm x 52 mm or 31 mm x 31 mm) |
| Current shunt | High precision shunt resistor directly soldered to the terminals of the cell |
| Cell Temperature Sensor | PT1000, -40°c to +90 °C |
| Irradiance | 0…1500 W/m² |
| Operating Temperature | -40°C t +85°C |
| Electrical Connection | 3 m LIYYC11Y PUR Cable, UV and weather resistant |
| Power Supply | 12 to 30 VDC (30 mA typically at 20 VDC) |
| Power Consumption | 20 mA max at 24 VDC |
| Output Signal | 4-20 mA |
| Dimensions, Weight | 140 mm x 108 mm x 42 mm (WxLxH),approx 300 g |
| Protection | IP54 (IP65,IP68 options) |
| Standard and Classification | |
| Uncertainty | ≤5% |
| Drift | Very small drift of <0.3%/ year |
| Response Time | 0,5 sec. |
| Field of View | 170° or 180° |
| Resolution | ≤1W/m2 |
| Tilt-Azimuth Angle | 0°-0°,≤1° |
| Electrical Connection | |
| Green | Output Irradiance |
| Brown | Power supply Irradiance (+) |
| Yellow | Output Temperature |
| White | Power supply Temperature (+) |
| Others | |
| Calibration | Each sensor is calibrated under Class AAA Sun Similator as per IEC 60904-2 by using a reference cell calibrated by ISFH-Germany |
| Test | Each sensor is tested under natural sunlight by using a calibrated reference cell from Fraunhofer ISE, Germany |
| Warranty | 5 years Limited warranty against manufacturer defects. Opening of the sensor box is one of the reason of terminating the warranty conditions |
Things you should know about the Irradiance Sensor with Analog output
SEVEN Sensor Solutions, as a weather station supplier, produces two types of irradiance sensors: one with a Modbus RTU output and other with an analog output.
SEVEN’s Analog Irradiance Sensor
In general, analog sensors produce a continuous output signal or voltage that is usually proportional to the measured quantity. Physical quantities such as temperature, velocity, pressure, displacement, strain, etc. are all analog quantities because they tend to be continuous in nature.
The SEVEN Irradiance Sensor, with Analog output, is a weatherproof junction box made of UV-resistant materials. It is made from a monocrystalline solar cell connected to a high-precision shunt. It contains an analog output which is used to measure the radiation value in solar power plants by plugging into analog input dataloggers.
The Analog irradiance sensor is mounted in such a way that it receives solar radiation straight from the sun. It must therefore be aligned with the photovoltaic panels in order to obtain the same measurements. The height at which the photovoltaic pyranometer is mounted is not critical for the accuracy of the measurement. SEVEN sensor Solutions provides an irradiation sensor with mounting brackets on both sides, so that it can be flexibly mounted on the solar panel, no matter where it is located.
Brands that use SEVEN’s analog irradiation sensor
The SEVEN analog radiation sensor is used for SolarEdge because it is compatible with their Gateway and all other dataloggers with analog inputs.
Our engineers, as part of SEVEN Sensor Solutions, are available to assist customers with remote setup service and information on anything they may need.