Design and Implementation of a Smart Solar-powered Microgrid Monitoring and Fault Detection System for Sustainable Energy Management

Abstract

Decentralized solar microgrids are key to sustainable electrification, but they require robust monitoring and rapid fault detection to ensure reliability and protect equipment. This paper describes the design and implementation of a smart, low-cost microgrid monitoring and fault detection system using an ESP32 microcontroller, INA219 current/voltage sensors, voltage dividers for higher voltages, data acquisition modules, and edge/cloud analytics architecture. The system implements real-time monitoring, local rule-based fault detection covering overcurrent, islanding, and battery undervoltage conditions, and machine-learning-ready feature extraction for fault classification. A prototype was developed and tested on a small solar microgrid comprising a photovoltaic (PV) array, battery bank, inverter, and connected loads. Results demonstrate effective early detection of common faults and clear visualization via a web and Android dashboard. The system provides a replicable framework for rural and campus microgrids, enabling efficient monitoring and maintenance that enhances reliability and reduces downtime in similar energy systems.