Power plants
As generation spreads across a site, the risk sits inside the electrical cabinet — not in the PV modules.
In solar plants a fault rarely starts in the module. It starts in the inverter cabinets, the DC combiner boxes and the compact substations. Those points are spread across the site, unstaffed and usually outside the corporate network — so a problem can go unnoticed until it shows up as lost generation.
Contact
The risk is in the electrical infrastructure, not the module
In a solar plant the PV modules themselves are largely passive components. The side that heats, arcs and burns is the electrical infrastructure: DC combiner boxes, inverter cabinets, AC distribution panels and compact substations.
At these points the problem typically follows the same chain. A terminal loosens or a contact oxidises; resistance rises; the connection point begins to heat; the insulation around it comes under thermal stress and produces measurable outgassing. Smoke and flame are the last link in that chain.
The difference is this: in a factory, someone works next to that panel. In a solar plant, nobody does.
An unstaffed site with long visit intervals
Plants are generally managed through periodic maintenance visits. Without a measurement showing what is happening inside the panel during the weeks in between, a problem is noticed only as a drop in generation or as a fault.
ArcFire Sense is mounted inside the inverter cabinet and the compact substation, continuously reading multi-channel gas measurement along with surface and ambient temperature, relative humidity and pressure. The IQ Panel evaluates those channels in a single risk function and makes the decision on site — with or without a link to the centre.
The critical point: the system does not watch an absolute temperature threshold. During commissioning it learns that panel’s own behaviour. An inverter cabinet that runs warm during high afternoon generation does not raise an alarm for being hot; it raises one when it starts behaving unexpectedly.
Connecting the site to the centre
The module is chosen to match the plant’s topology:
LoRaWAN Module (CM-L300) — for plants where many inverters and kiosks are spread across a wide area. A single gateway provides kilometre-scale coverage and the cost per node falls as the count grows. Duty-cycle limits mean risk score, alarm state and periodic summary values are sent rather than raw telemetry.
Cellular GSM Module (CM-G200) — for points with no corporate network where full-resolution telemetry is wanted. A SIM subscription is the only site infrastructure needed.
Both can be used at the same plant: cellular at the critical points, LoRaWAN across the rest of the fleet.
Other generation types
The electrical infrastructure layer is common to every plant. Where there is rotating equipment — turbine and generator sets, cooling and feed pumps, fans — Vibro Sense and VibroPro Sense add the vibration monitoring layer, running on the same IQ Panel and the same field bus.
Recommended product combination
- ARF-005ArcFire SenseA multi-channel gas, thermal and electrical signature probe for electrical panels.
- CTX-IQ-100IQ PanelThe edge controller that hosts the Cortex platform's embedded AI inference engine.
- CM-L300LoRaWAN ModuleA long-range, low-power communication module for wide-area field topologies.
- CM-G200Cellular GSM ModuleAn LPWAN-class cellular (GSM) communication module for the IQ Panel.
Frequently asked questions
Isn't the inside of an inverter cabinet too hot for a probe?
The ArcFire Sense electronics operate from −20 °C to +60 °C and the IP40 rating is designed for in-panel use. In outdoor structures such as a compact substation the probe is mounted inside the enclosure, not on it, and the enclosure provides protection against the elements. The internal temperature profile of the specific panel should be confirmed before installation.
How does data reach the centre when the site has no internet?
Two options. Where many points are spread over a wide area, the LoRaWAN Module (CM-L300) fits: a single gateway provides kilometre-scale coverage and the cost per node falls, at the cost of sending risk score and alarm state rather than raw telemetry. At critical points needing full-resolution telemetry, the Cellular GSM Module (CM-G200) is used. Both can run on the same site.
Is the plant unprotected when communication drops?
No. Risk scoring and alarm generation run on the IQ Panel at the site, independently of the communication layer. Dry-contact relay outputs can drive warning and disconnect circuits with no connection at all. During an outage the data is held in a local buffer and transmitted in order once the link returns.
Is this only suitable for solar plants?
No. The electrical infrastructure layer — medium and low voltage panels, transformer kiosks, power factor correction — is common to every generation type. Where there is rotating equipment, such as turbine and generator sets, cooling pumps and fans, Vibro Sense and VibroPro Sense add the vibration monitoring layer.