Solar Lattice

Concept

Data acquisition system

ID
concept:data-acquisition-system
IRI
https://solarlattice.org/kb/concept/data-acquisition-system
Status
active
Also known as
DAS, data logger, DAQ, datalogger
Category
Monitoring
Concept kind
technology

A data acquisition system (DAS) gathers performance data from PV plant equipment, mainly inverters, and usually does this through a data logger. In the usual data chain, the inverter measures DC and AC values and keeps them in internal registers. A data logger then sends them to a database, a vendor portal or a third-party monitoring site. The logger can pass values through unchanged, average a set of samples, or keep one sampled value per interval. So the data in the database may not match what the inverter sent. In one documented plant, the datalogger sampled six inverters every 2 seconds and stored only 10-minute averages. Typical DAS maintenance includes checking power supply voltages and comparing current transducer and sensor readings against calibrated instruments, which shows up sensor calibration errors. DAS plans are often missing or lack detail. If the DAS uses the building IT network, network upgrades or routine IT maintenance can cause connectivity problems. Large central inverters provide a dedicated connection for a third-party DAS. The related term SCADA stands for supervisory control and data acquisition.

<!-- review notes

Claims

related_to

c1 drafted · lead Monitoring data logger

In the cited plant, the data acquisition system consists of a datalogger that acquires inverter data.

c2 drafted · lead Inverter

The inverter is often the first point of measurement; its data is collected by the data logger.

c3 drafted · lead SCADA

SCADA stands for supervisory control and data acquisition.

c4 verified · fact Performance monitoring

Data acquisition supplies performance data for commercial PV monitoring and fault detection.

verified by: review-workflowverified on: 2026-10-24review note: support check: partial - The titles mention performance data acquisition for commercial PV, and u27 mentions the data chain for fault detection. None of the passages names performance monitoring, and they do not say that DAS data supplies it.

Referenced by

Data