The future of EKO Pyranometers

Regardless of whether your PV solar plant is large or small, hi-tech or low, maximising your energy yield ultimately depends on creating the perfect conditions. Many PV solar plants already have an onsite monitoring system, generating critical operating data about yield and performance-ratio, but with increasing energy demands, and increasing competition, its’ time to consider upgrading to ‘Smart Sensors’.

While there isn’t any single international standard that defines what makes a sensor smart, ‘Smart Sensors’ are typically characterised by onboard intelligence and the ability to communicate via a digital network. As with any new tool or technology, Smart Sensors used for control require trust. Trust that the sensor is accurate, calibrated, reliable, timely, and secure.

At EKO Instruments, we have been working to combine ‘trust’ with ‘smart’, taking our existing range of ISO9060 Class Pyranometers, proven over time and around the world, and adding new ‘smart’ features. Our goal, to launch a new ‘MS-S’ Series of ‘smart’ pyranometers, pyrgeometers, and UV sensors; upgraded ‘smart’ variants of the MS-80, MS-60, MS-40, MS-20, MS-11 and MS-10. 

The ‘MS-S’ Series will add value to any application with advanced performance and diagnostic functions. New features, including the ability to self-monitor tilt angle, temperature and inside humidity monitoring, and onboard diagnostic sensors will help to prevent unplanned sensor and system downtime; and have been designed to help significantly improve yield, efficiency, and performance.

The EKO ‘MS-S’ sensors will also combine efficient digital communications via ‘Modbus 485’ and ‘SDI-12’, with electronic analogue controls. The analogue 4-20 mA and 0-10mA output standards will support communication between sensors and data controllers with an analogue input, while 4-20 mA signals will also be largely immune to electrical noise. Per-point wiring has also been included in the design to ensure that communication is reliable and easy to troubleshoot.

And, with the imminent launch of our new free to download ‘Hibi’ software, we are also making data visualisation easier than ever. ‘Hibi’ means ‘day by day’ in Japanese, and with this programme, users will be able to visualise detection signals, set communication parameters, and rapidly troubleshoot any issues from day one.

The EKO ‘MS-S’ Series of smart sensors will bring together the quality and reliability of EKO solar sensors with our commitment to continuous innovation and are designed to play a key role in improving solar power plant monitoring and control. They will be Industry 4.0 ready, and capable of measuring rapid irradiance variations, with high reliability, stability, and accuracy across a wide operational temperature range.

Email the team at ‘info@eko-eu.com’ to register your interest or to find out more about the ‘MS-S’ Series of Smart Sensors.

This article was featured in EKO/Environment. Click here OR on the 'Subscribe' button below to register for future EKO e-newsletters.

A statement from EKO Instruments President, Toshikazu Hasegawa

On the 26^th of February, EKO Instruments Japan were due to begin exhibiting at Smart Energy Week 2020; a major 3-day local industry event where we had planned to have two booths, one for Wind and another for our PV products.

The whole team were looking forward to this event; with plans to debut new booth designs, a special social media-focused giveaway, and our widest range of products on display. Mainly, however, we enjoy these kinds of events because they...

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EKO Instruments Co., Ltd (Tokyo, Japan) have issued a public pledge to phase out all possible single-use, and non-recyclable plastics from product packaging by the end of 2022. The pledge, made globally via social media on 12/31, covers all of the companies own products, such as environmental sensors and other scientific instruments.

Many everyday items are categorised as single-use or disposable plastics, including plastic bags, straws, coffee stirrers, water bottles, packing materials, and most food packaging. The majority of these plastics are not recyclable.

Plastic pollution is one part of the wider ‘Climate Emergency’ and a rapidly growing problem. Roughly 300 million tons of plastics are produced each year globally[i], and much of it is thrown away within just a few minutes of its first use, often ending up in oceans and landfill. It is estimated that the worlds’ oceans already contain more than 150 million tons of plastic[ii]. 

Speaking about the pledge, EKO Instruments President, Toshikazu Hasegawa said “We wanted to set an ambitious, but achievable goal. To take the first step, as a company, in addressing the global challenge of pollution and the climate crisis”. He went on to explain that “this isn’t a Japanese problem, a China, US, or European problem; it is a global problem, a human challenge.”

The pledge commits EKO to the re-design of all product packaging within three years. The initial goal will be to use less and more environmentally friendly alternatives, before finally transitioning to no single-use or non-recyclable plastics.

As EKO produces highly sensitive scientific instruments for use in the renewable energy industry, research, and academia, it is imperative that when products are packaged and shipped, often around the world, that they are safe from sudden drops, vibration, and other potentially damaging events or conditions.

Discussing the origin of the pledge, President Hasegawa explained that “it is an idea based on our corporate philosophy, that we have a responsibility to contribute to the preservation and protection of our natural environment… it was also driven internally by our management team and colleagues; everyone expressed a desire to take action.”

EKO hope to use their experience to help educate other companies about the challenges and potential solutions to plastic pollution, with plans to document and share the lessons they learn, and their progress towards achieving their goal, via social media.

For more information about the pledge, please contact marketing@eko-instruments.com.

Supported by EKO Instruments

EKO Instruments Co., Ltd. supported Kogakuin University at the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge 2019 (BWSC 2019) in Australia, held from the 13^th to the 20^th of October 2019, with a set of EKO designed and manufactured Pyranometers.

The Bridgestone World Solar Car Challenge (BWSC) is one of the toughest races in the world. Held every two years since 1987, the 2019 event saw 44 teams from 21 countries attempt to travel 3,000km (about 1900 miles) in intense conditions across Australia, from Darwin to Adelaide, in solar-powered vehicles.

Despite crashing twice due to adverse weather conditions and strong winds, the Kogakuin University team finished in 5^th and won the ‘CSIRO Technical Innovation Award’ for their unique hydro-pneumatic suspension system; the first time that such technology has been applied to solar-powered vehicles.

Why does a Solar Powered Car need Pyranometers?

A solar-powered car has only one source of power, the sun. To stand a chance of finishing, let alone winning, the BWSC teams must optimise energy management in their vehicles. In other words, they need to know precisely how much energy they are generating and using during the race. Measuring solar radiation and checking weather conditions via satellite data helps them to calculate how much energy will be generated.

At BWSC 2019 the Kogakuin University Solar Team used two EKO pyranometers; one installed on the accompanying ‘Scout car’ driving 200 to 300km ahead of the race car, and another on the ‘Strategy car’ driving close behind.

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It’s true that two of anything is almost always better than one. From double glazed windows, through 2-ply tissues, and ‘Buy One Get One Free’ special offers; it’s hard to argue against the logic that two scoops of ice-cream are better than one.

Pyranometers, instruments used to measure solar irradiance, are no exception. In fact, when it comes to ‘Secondary-Standard Pyranometers’, known more colloquially as Class ‘A’ (per ISO standards), the general consensus has been that they should be ‘double domed’ as standard. This is based on the idea that an additional dome reduces thermal offset and increases radiation shielding.

But ‘almost always’ doesn’t mean ‘always’ and at EKO, we developed the conviction that more of something doesn’t automatically mean ‘better’; that a single dome pyranometer could do everything a double-domed pyranometer could do, with no negative impact on performance or loss of accuracy.

With the MS-80, the only sensor to achieve the best performance rating on zero offset among Class ‘A’ pyranometers, we’ve proved it.

The innovative, and patented, single-dome design of the MS-80 includes a Quartz diffusor, and isolated thermopile detector; the core of the pyranometer that defines most of its capabilities and characteristics, features that deliver several advantages over its double-domed competitors:

• A thermopile that is 10x faster, with rapid response times from the sensor
• A detector that is isolated inside the body, achieving the lowest offset A
• Offset B is also improved with the isolated detector better able to adapt to ambient temperature changes
• With a single dome, the optics are designed to provide true cosine response and lat spectral responsivity in the range 285nm – 3000nm
• Better long-term stability. The detector is hermetically sealed, which makes it immune to humidity changes and the impact of UV
• Temperature dependency optimised for each detector
• Non-linearity effect
• Each unit contains a drying agent inside the sealed sensor body that doesn’t need to be replaced, ever!
• Lower cost & less maintenance

The MS-80 is unique, a single dome sensor based on an isolated thermopile detector and Quartz diffusor; immune to offsets, compliant to the "Fast response" and "Spectrally flat" sub-categories under ISO 9060:2018 Class A. With optional value-added functions such as a ventilator, heater and different industrial interfaces, the MS-80 keeps working in any condition; dew, frost, snow, and dust aren’t a problem.

Variants including the MS-80A; an MS-80 with a built-in 4-20mA converter, and the MS-80M, with a built-in MODBUS converter, are compatible with industrial output standards. Due to the ultra-low temperature dependency and exceptional non-linearity characteristics, these variants guarantee optimal sensor performance under any environmental condition.

MS-80 pyranometers, like all EKO products, are manufactured in a consistent way with strict quality inspection and performance evaluation. For each sensor, the directional response and temperature dependency are measured and validated through a measurement report that comes with the sensor. Our unique calibration process is compliant to international standards defined by ISO/IEC17025/9847.

Next time you have to choose between 1 scoop of ice-cream OR 2, get the ice-cream cake instead. When it comes to single OR double domed pyranometers, choose Quality over Quantity, choose the MS-80.

Find out more about the MS-80 @ https://eko-eu.com/ms-80 

This article was featured in EKO/Environment. Click here OR on the 'Subscribe' button below to register for future EKO e-newsletters.

Why is it Gaining Momentum?

Bifacial Photovoltaic (PV) modules have nothing to do with face creams, skincare, or tanning; and everything to do with the future of solar power generation.

‘Bifacial PV’ modules are a type of solar panel designed to receive solar irradiance front and rear, generating power on both sides and, in a nutshell, that allows for new possibilities in solar power; alternatives to the conventional south orientation and latitude-based tilt optimisation of traditional projects.

New possibilities mean greater flexibility, greater power generation potential, and a great deal more excitement.

Indeed, the 2 Vs. 1-way power generation potential of Bifacial PV modules is helping to drive growth in PV power generation projects, despite reduced government incentives globally, with the ‘International Technology Roadmap for Photovoltaics’ predicting that Bifacial PV modules will represent 35% of the PV module market share by 2028.

This all sounds great, and indeed, with Bifacial PV you would naturally expect increases in yield and performance, however, there are uncertainties as to how much actual yield can be expected at each location. Like traditional PV projects, modelled yields and returns are needed to determine project scope, design, and to help secure financing.

That being the case, researchers around the world are working to define just how much additional power these new modules will make at different sites, under different sky conditions, and in different string configurations.

Performance monitoring of PV sites has for years required continuous measurements of the solar broadband irradiance, with instruments deployed in Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI) and Plane of Array (POA) irradiance orientations. Now the added parameter of upward or reflected irradiance (RI) must be monitored too.

Enter EKO Instruments!

EKO Albedometers like the MS-80 are capable of being mounted in a traditional albedo measurement configuration, one sensor measuring the downward irradiance and another measuring upward irradiance; both levelled horizontally with the surface. And EKO is unique in the PV industry for its complete product line of research-grade equipment.

With EKO, researchers can source the sensors they need to study the true performance of bifacial PV modules. Get in touch to find out more.

This article was featured in EKO/Environment. Click here OR on the 'Subscribe' button below to register for future EKO e-newsletters.