Altitude’s Impact on Photovoltaic Efficiency: An IoT-Enabled Geographically Distributed Remote Laboratory

In the context of online education, remote laboratories play a crucial role in practical application of theoretical knowledge. Even though there are some remote laboratories to study the solar efficiency of photovoltaic (PV) panels, they are limited either to a single specific location or restricted to simulated conditions. In this paper, we focus on understanding the behavior of PV solar panels under diverse conditions, including altitude, Ultraviolet-A influence, temperature, and solar radiation, which are factors that cannot be accurately simulated and require real-world experimentation. We present the development of a distributed PV Solar Remote Lab deployed at three different cities and altitudes, emphasizing Internet of Things (IoT) technology for real-time data collection and experiment control. Our PV Solar Remote Lab web platform incorporates a specialized current-voltage (I-V) tracer system for accurate efficiency calculations. We obtained encouraging preliminary results on altitude’s influence on PV efficiency. Our remote lab implementation leverages IoT, providing valuable insights into the impact of altitude on PV efficiency and promoting a deeper understanding of solar energy systems. We also contribute to online education by offering a user-friendly platform for practical PV experiments in diverse real-world conditions.