August 24, 2021

Portable DIY Weather Station Runs Entirely on Solar Power

from hackster.io

Most of us get our weather predictions from the news or one of many apps on our smartphones. But if you’re in a rural area and need the most accurate predictions, then a home weather station is a better option.

Although there are plenty of weather stations you can buy, you can also make your own station. And even better, have it run on the sun.

Open Green Energy's portable weather station is fully solar-powered and can easily be installed in a remote place – no need to worry about long cables.

Because it’s solar-powered, the station has access to a continuous power supply even in remote locations. Though it’s compact, it’s able to measure several parameters, including internal and external temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, rain levels, barometric pressure, UV index, and Lux index.

Once installed, you can see weather measurements on the companion Sol Weather Station app. Just keep in mind, you’ll have to download the Blynk app to access it.

All components are housed in a 3D-printed enclosure known as the Stevenson Screen. This is an enclosure for weather sensors that shields it from rain and direct heat radiation from outside sources while still allowing air to circulate freely around them.

The system comes equipped with:

ESP32 module

18650 Li-ion battery

TP4056 charging module

BME280 barometric pressure sensor

DS18B20 temperature sensor

GY1145 UV index sensor

BH1750 lux level sensor BH1750

Wind and rain sensor

3.3V MCP1700

5V 1.2W solar panel (110 x 69mm)

8650 Battery Holder

Slide switch

Custom PCB

While the prototype proves promising, there are already ideas on how to improve the next version. Future goals for the next iteration of the weather station include new software for implementing ESPHome and Home Assistant, optimizing the power consumption, implementing LORA communication, and software for implementing MQTT.

This weather station is ideal for applications such as smart agriculture, smart city, solar power plants, and construction sites. It’s not only a great way to get more accurate weather predictions, but the use of solar power also ensures it uses power efficiently and in a way that won’t harm the environment. Which kind of fits the bill.