A power-efficient environmental monitoring station for evaluating low-cost sensors in Uganda.

Abstract

Low-cost environmental monitoring systems provide a cost-effective and practical alternative for expanding environmental monitoring into new sectors. These devices use low-cost sensors, thus their accuracy and dependability must be carefully evaluated in comparison to industry standards. An environmental sensor evaluation station was constructed and installed as part of this project at the Makerere weather station. This station is made up of eighteen separate sensors that are classified into six types, including temperature, humidity, and air quality sensors. By deploying this station in several sites around Uganda, the most dependable sensors for wider adoption can be identified. However, the current evaluation system, which consists of a 100Ah battery charged by two 80W solar panels in series, is extremely power-intensive and presents scalability issues. To address these obstacles, the existing evaluation system’s hardware and software components were thoroughly evaluated. The circuit board and its components were analyzed, and various microcontrollers were investigated in order to find a more energy-efficient solution. A new power-efficient environmental monitoring system powered by a 5Ah battery and a 5W solar panel was developed using an embedded system.