electrical:start

This is an old revision of the document!


Electrical & Power Control Interfaces

AOFS defines the electrical and power control architecture to safely operate pumps, valves, and irrigation loads under any power source. It is designed to ensure fail-safe operation, energy efficiency, and compliance with AOFS standards, independent of whether the farm uses grid, generator, or solar power.

1. Core Power Principles

  • AOFS is power-source agnostic: it works with grid, generator, solar, or hybrid systems.
  • Controllers must enforce fail-safe operation for irrigation and actuation regardless of the power source.
  • Voltage and current monitoring is recommended where helpful, but not required for compliance.
  • Systems must support safe shutdowns in case of power anomalies or failures.

2. Optional Solar Integration

AOFS supports optional solar monitoring for farms that want to optimize energy usage:

  • Level 1 – Minimal Monitoring (Recommended for off-grid / weak-grid farms)
    • Field Controllers may monitor battery voltage and current.
    • Supports reliable irrigation operation when solar/battery power is used.
    • Fully optional for farms with stable grid or generator power.
  • Level 2 – Integrated Monitoring (Optional Advanced Module)
    • Controllers can read solar generation metrics from panels/inverters via standard protocols (e.g., Modbus, MQTT, RS485).
    • Enables dynamic irrigation scheduling based on energy availability.
    • Supports advanced PUE analytics and reporting.
    • Completely optional — AOFS compliance does not depend on it.

3. Implementation Guidelines

  • AOFS compliance does not require any specific power source or monitoring.
  • Optional monitoring modules should follow AOFS data logging and offline-first principles.
  • All controllers and modules, regardless of power source, must enforce local fail-safes for pumps, valves, and critical irrigation operations.
electrical/start.1769034911.txt.gz · Last modified: by bsamuel