Analysis of LoRa Energy Autonomy Extension Using a Photovoltaic Power Supply System

This work describes a methodology for characterizing the consumption of a Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) device based on LoRa (Long Range) technology and the possibility of integrating a Photovoltaic (PV) power supply system to extend its autonomy. The device consumption profiles for Transmission (TX) and Reception (RX) modes were measured, the I-V curves of the PV module were extracted to determine the Maximum Power Point (MPP), and the device autonomy was estimated for different scenarios. The results demonstrated that the autonomy of the LPWA device, both in TX and RX modes, can be extended using the PV power supply system under study through different battery and PV module use strategies.