ABSTRACT
This chapter is devoted to the relationship of environmental monitoring and electric power systems, covering three major topics: powering a remote off-grid environmental station, powering wireless sensor nodes, and applying environmental monitoring for the design and operation of renewable power systems. In terms of powering off-grid remote monitoring stations, the focus is on photovoltaic solar panels since they offer a practical solution to this application. For wireless sensor nodes in open areas, solar panels can be employed to recharge batteries, but in shaded areas, other energy harvesting techniques are required. Alternatives include harvesting or scavenging ambient energy, such as vibration, heat, and radio waves. Finally, this chapter covers the role of environmental monitoring in providing data useful to the design and operation of renewable power, for example solar, wind, and hydroelectric power. A major contribution of monitoring is understanding the resource used by these forms of renewable power, e.g., solar radiation, wind speed, and water flow.
