IoT-Enabled Pyranometer using LoRa Technology

In this paper, a prototype of an electronic device for wireless data transmission from a conventional pyranometer is described. The prototype is based on the ESP-32 development board and utilizes LoRaWAN technology to transmit measured solar radiation data. Measurements of device energy consumption proved a strong correlation with the sampling frequency. A significant energy saving can be obtained by putting the microcontroller into sleep mode between two consecutive readouts. If the sampling frequency is 1 per minute or less, the device consumes very little energy, and a 1200 mAh battery could guarantee more than two months of continuous operation. Hence, the study has proved the viability of such a device, which could significantly reduce the complexity of pyranometer installation, especially if measured data is collected indoors.