HSC Science Extension Solar Monitoring system

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As part of my HSC topic science extension I have need to complete a major research project. For my project I am determining the effectiveness and efficiency of various cooling systems on solar cells. I will be creating an active water-cooling system and a passive gel based heat disruption system. In order to collect the required data I need to develop a system based on a raspberry pi to collect and monitor the temperature and watts produced by the three panels. I have some prior experience in coding and the use of similar systems to the raspberry pi, however due to my needs requiring a range of electrical components I want to make sure I am purchasing appropriate equipment that is compatible with the Pi and preferably python.

So far I am looking at the Gravity i2c digital wattmeter for my watt measurements and the gravity SHT31-F Digital Temp and humidity sensor.

Will these components be compatible with the Pi or are there more compatible components out there?

Additionally are there any recommendations on how I should wire these components together or are there any additional components that are required for the system to function?

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Hey Felix,

Cool project! We can certainly try and help you on this one, choosing i2c sensors as you’ve done is generally a good idea for an easy time, I’ve done some digging as to compatibility, and found some info:

You’d have to make sure however that your solar panels are completely loaded up, using a power resistor or a bank of them, depending on how big your panel is.

Hope this gives you some more avenues to look into, and I’m keen to see how your project goes!
-James

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