Implementation of a Communication Framework for an Automatic Solar Shading System

Automatic solar shading systems are becoming increasingly popular, due to their ability to increase the energy efficiency of the buildings and improve occupant comfort, by optimizing the exposure to natural daylight. This work presents the design and implementation of a reliable and user-friendly cloud network of an Internet of Things (IoT) automatic solar shading system, enabling the user to remotely control and monitor its status. Each solar shading device is based on an ESP32 microcontroller, which is responsible for the automatic operation of an individual or a group of solar shades, as well as the data acquisition regarding the conditions of the internal and external environment. Furthermore, these nodes communicate over a local or remote network with a framework implemented on a Raspberry Pi, running as a server and operating as a broker to facilitate the Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) connectivity protocol. The efficient and reliable communication between the shading system and the server is implemented using an open-source home automation operating system (Home Assistant OS), integrated on the same Raspberry Pi. The User Interface is designed to be easy-to-use and accessible by the user, through the web or a mobile application, providing useful data like internal and external temperature and humidity values, the angle of the shading system, etc. Additionally, the system is also configured to send alert notifications when specific conditions are met. The proposed system is designed to be a scalable and user-friendly interface for remote controlling and monitoring of solar shading systems.