IOT News

In recent years, distributed solar power has grown rapidly and widely, bringing cleaner and more diverse energy sources to the grid. However, challenges such as scattered installation sites, management difficulties, and lack of maintenance have become major barriers to further growth and effective monitoring.

Power factor refers to the ratio of active power to apparent power in an AC circuit. In commercial and industrial solar projects, a higher power factor means better efficiency, more effective use of generation equipment, and ultimately higher returns from the solar installation. By collecting power factor data in real time, equipment manufacturers and operators can visualize and manage power output more effectively, improving both operational and financial performance.

WideIOT’s industrial IoT gateway connects to smart meters, solar inverters, and other devices to collect realtime data including active power, reactive power, apparent power, voltage, and current. Using edge computing, it calculates power factor, energy generation, and other key metrics. The data is then transmitted to a solar management platform via 4G/5G or other networks. This enables companies to monitor equipment status and operational performance across multiple sites, quickly detect anomalies, and take control—boosting both management efficiency and operational reliability.

Key Features

Flexible Connectivity

The gateway provides multiple serial ports, Ethernet ports, and I/O interfaces. It supports protocols such as IEC101/103/104, IEC61850, Modbus, OPC UA, and DLT645, and can connect to the network via 5G/4G, WiFi, or Ethernet.

RealTime Visualization

Displays active power, reactive power, apparent power, and realtime power factor for each grid connection point. Data can be shown using line charts, bar charts, and other visual formats, making it easy to track power factor trends.

Custom Alerts

Users can set custom power factor thresholds. The system automatically detects when limits are exceeded and sends alerts via SMS, email, or WeChat. This helps quickly identify faulty equipment, unusual data, and exact timestamps for faster troubleshooting.

Remote Control & Optimization

The gateway supports sending control commands to inverters that allow reactive power adjustment. Operators can remotely issue commands to solar sites to dynamically optimize power factor, helping ensure efficient and reliable power generation.