DC Remote Power Sensor

Abstract

Reliable DC power monitoring is important in remote and off-grid areas where AC supply is unstable or unavailable. This project presents a low-cost IoT-based DC remote power monitoring system using the ESP32 microcontroller with built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. A GSM module is included to provide SMS alerts when internet connectivity is not available. Real-time DC parameters are displayed on an LCD screen and can be monitored remotely through the Blynk Android application, which also allows relay control. A buck XL4016E1 DC-DC 10A 300W stepdown module is used to supply regulated power to sensors, buzzer and other system components. A relay and buzzer provide local alerts and manual control for improved safety. The system is suitable for solar-powered, battery-operated, telecom, and off-grid applications, offering a cost effective and reliable solution for remote DC power monitoring.

Introduction

The text presents a DC Remote Power Sensor system designed for reliable, real-time monitoring of solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery systems, especially in remote or off-grid environments. With the growing use of renewable energy, continuous monitoring of parameters like voltage, current, and battery health is essential for efficiency, safety, and equipment lifespan.

Traditional systems either depend on internet-based monitoring (which fails without connectivity) or GSM-based systems (which lack visualization). To overcome these limitations, the proposed system uses a dual-mode communication approach—combining IoT (Wi-Fi) for online monitoring and GSM for offline alerts—ensuring uninterrupted supervision.

The system is built around an ESP32 microcontroller, which collects data from voltage and current sensors and calculates key parameters such as State of Charge (SoC), State of Health (SoH), and Depth of Discharge (DoD). Data is displayed locally on an LCD, sent to the Blynk IoT platform for remote visualization, and transmitted via SMS in case of network failure. It also includes a relay-based protection mechanism to handle abnormal conditions like overvoltage or undervoltage.

Simulation (using Proteus) and real hardware implementation confirmed that the system accurately monitors PV and battery performance under various conditions (charging, discharging, normal, and fault states). The system provides real-time cloud monitoring, reliable GSM alerts, and effective load protection.

Conclusion

The developed prototype demonstrated accurate monitoring of PV and battery parameters, along with reliable computation of battery health indicators such as SoC, SoH, and DoD. Both online monitoring through the Blynk platform and offline data transmission via GSM were verified, confirming the effectiveness of the dual communication strategy. Overall, the experimental results establish the functional correctness and practical feasibility of the proposed system for remote supervision of solar-powered DC installations, thereby providing a strong foundation for further optimization and large-scale deployment.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2026 Aswin Anil, Diya Sundus, Fidha Habeeb, Mariya Sunny, Dr. Sija Gopinathan , Jayan P P, Dr. Siny Paul. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.