⚡ SolarPlanner – Dual Energy Monitor

A dual-channel AC energy monitoring node built on the ESP32-S3, measuring both Home Load and Grid (WAPDA) power simultaneously using two PZEM-004T v3.0 sensors.
Data is pushed live to Firebase Realtime Database, shown on a local SSD1306 OLED, and served via a built-in web dashboard over the ESP32's soft-AP.

This module is part of the larger ☀️ SolarPlanner Project.

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📽️ Demo

Live demo of the hardware in action — OLED boot animation, real-time readings on both channels, and the web dashboard updating every 2 seconds.

demo.mp4

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🏗️ System Architecture

The monitor runs in WiFi dual mode (AP + STA):

Mode	Purpose
Soft-AP (Solar_Planner_AP)	Always-on hotspot — devices connect directly to see the web dashboard at 192.168.4.1
Station (STA)	Connects to your router → pushes data to Firebase RTDB every 5 seconds

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🔌 Hardware Components

Component	Qty	Purpose
ESP32-S3 DevKit	1	Main microcontroller
PZEM-004T v3.0	2	AC power measurement (Home + Grid)
SSD1306 OLED (128×64, I²C)	1	Real-time local display
Current Transformer (CT)	2	Non-invasive current sensing
5V Power Supply	1	Powers the ESP32 + OLED
Status LED	1	WiFi connection indicator
Jumper wires, enclosure	—	Assembly

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📌 Pin Wiring (ESP32-S3)

OLED Display (SSD1306 — I²C)

OLED Pin	ESP32-S3 GPIO	Notes
VCC	3.3V	Do NOT use 5V
GND	GND	—
SDA	GPIO 8	I²C Data
SCL	GPIO 9	I²C Clock

PZEM-004T #1 — Home Load

PZEM Pin	ESP32-S3 GPIO	Notes
VCC	5V	Powered separately
GND	GND	Common ground
RX	GPIO 15	ESP TX → PZEM RX
TX	GPIO 16	PZEM TX → ESP RX

UART2 (HardwareSerial(2)) — pzem1Serial

PZEM-004T #2 — Grid (WAPDA)

PZEM Pin	ESP32-S3 GPIO	Notes
VCC	5V	Powered separately
GND	GND	Common ground
RX	GPIO 17	ESP TX → PZEM RX
TX	GPIO 18	PZEM TX → ESP RX

UART1 (HardwareSerial(1)) — pzem2Serial

Status LED

Component	GPIO	Notes
LED (+ resistor)	GPIO 2	Solid = WiFi connected, Blink = connecting

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🔧 PZEM-004T Pinout

⚠️ Safety: The PZEM-004T connects directly to mains AC voltage (live/neutral terminals). Always work with the power off. Use proper insulated wiring and a secure enclosure.

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📐 Circuit Diagram

The editable source (DrawIO) is included: Circuit Diagram.drawio

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📸 Hardware Build

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📦 Required Libraries

Install all of these via Arduino IDE → Library Manager (or lib_deps in PlatformIO):

Library	Version	Install
Adafruit SSD1306	≥ 2.5	Library Manager
Adafruit GFX Library	≥ 1.11	Library Manager
PZEM-004T v3.0	≥ 1.1	Library Manager
Firebase ESP Client	≥ 4.x	Library Manager

Board Package: esp32 by Espressif (≥ 2.0) — add via Boards Manager with URL:

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/espressif/arduino-esp32/gh-pages/package_esp32_index.json

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🚀 Setup Guide

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/SolarPlanner-DualEnergyMonitor.git
cd SolarPlanner-DualEnergyMonitor

2. Create Your Secrets File

# Copy the example template
cp secrets.h.example doublepzemwithdisplayfirebase/secrets.h

Then open doublepzemwithdisplayfirebase/secrets.h and fill in your credentials:

#define AP_SSID         "Solar_Planner_AP"       // Name of your ESP32 hotspot
#define ROUTER_SSID     "YourWiFiName"            // Your router SSID
#define ROUTER_PASSWORD "YourWiFiPassword"        // Your router password
#define API_KEY         "AIzaSy..."               // Firebase API key
#define DATABASE_URL    "https://your-project-default-rtdb.firebaseio.com/"

3. Firebase Setup

1. Go to Firebase Console → Create Project
2. Enable Realtime Database (start in test mode)
3. Go to Project Settings → General → copy the Web API Key
4. Copy the Database URL from the RTDB dashboard
5. Paste both into your secrets.h

4. Open in Arduino IDE

• Open doublepzemwithdisplayfirebase/doublepzemwithdisplayfirebase.ino
• Select board: ESP32S3 Dev Module
• Select the correct COM port
• Install all required libraries (see above)
• Click Upload

5. Verify It's Running

Open Serial Monitor at 115200 baud. You should see:

[BOOT] Solar Planner Starting...
[OLED] OK
[PZEM] Serial ports initialized
[AP] IP: 192.168.4.1
[STA] Connecting to: YourWiFi
[WEB] Server started on port 80
[BOOT] Setup complete — entering loop
[FIREBASE] WiFi up, initializing...
[FIREBASE] Sign-up OK
[FIREBASE] Data pushed OK

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📊 OLED Display Pages

The display cycles through 6 pages (4 seconds each):

Page	Source	Shows
0	🏠 Home	Power (W) + Voltage (V)
1	🏠 Home	Current (A) + Frequency (Hz)
2	🏠 Home	Energy (kWh) + Power Factor
3	⚡ Grid	Power (W) + Voltage (V)
4	⚡ Grid	Current (A) + Frequency (Hz)
5	⚡ Grid	Energy (kWh) + Power Factor

The navbar shows: source label, page indicator dots, LIVE tag, and a blinking WiFi icon when connected.

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🌐 Web Dashboard

When connected to the ESP32's soft-AP (Solar_Planner_AP) — or same LAN — open:

http://192.168.4.1

The dashboard shows both channels in real time (auto-refreshes every 2 seconds):

Metric	Home 🏠	Grid ⚡
Voltage	✅	✅
Current	✅	✅
Active Power	✅	✅
Total Energy	✅	✅
Frequency	✅	✅
Power Factor	✅	✅

JSON API also available at http://192.168.4.1/api/data.

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🔥 Firebase RTDB Schema

Data is pushed to path /solar_monitor/live every 5 seconds:

{
  "home": {
    "connected": true,
    "voltage": 228.4,
    "current": 1.234,
    "power": 281.7,
    "energy": 0.045,
    "frequency": 50.0,
    "pf": 0.99
  },
  "grid": {
    "connected": true,
    "voltage": 230.1,
    "current": 2.100,
    "power": 483.2,
    "energy": 0.091,
    "frequency": 50.0,
    "pf": 0.98
  },
  "updatedAt": 123456789
}

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⏱️ Timing Configuration

Constant	Default	Purpose
READ_INTERVAL	2000 ms	PZEM sensor polling rate
DISPLAY_INTERVAL	1000 ms	OLED refresh rate
PAGE_INTERVAL	4000 ms	OLED page rotation speed
FIREBASE_INTERVAL	5000 ms	Firebase push frequency
BLINK_INTERVAL	600 ms	WiFi icon blink period

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🗂️ Repository Structure

SolarPlanner-DualEnergyMonitor/
├── doublepzemwithdisplayfirebase/          ← Arduino sketch folder
│   ├── doublepzemwithdisplayfirebase.ino   ← Main sketch
│   └── secrets.h                           ← [GITIGNORED] Your credentials
├── docs/                                   ← All media & diagrams
│   ├── demo.mp4                            ← Live demo video
│   ├── circuit_diagram.png                 ← Full circuit diagram
│   ├── dual_pzem_circuit.png               ← Dual PZEM wiring
│   ├── architecture_diagram.png            ← System architecture
│   ├── production_photo.png                ← Hardware build photo
│   ├── pzem004t_pinout.png                 ← PZEM-004T pinout reference
│   └── sketch.jpeg                         ← Initial design sketch
├── Circuit Diagram.drawio                  ← Editable DrawIO source
├── secrets.h.example                       ← ✅ Safe credentials template
├── .gitignore                              ← Excludes secrets.h
└── README.md                               ← This file

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🔗 Part of SolarPlanner

This hardware node feeds data into the SolarPlanner dashboard — a full solar energy management system that tracks generation, consumption, grid import/export, and battery state.

🔗 SolarPlanner Main Repository

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⚠️ Safety Notice

Caution

This project involves mains AC voltage (230V). Incorrect wiring can cause electric shock, fire, or equipment damage.

• Always work with power OFF and unplugged
• Use properly rated insulated wires and connectors
• House the electronics in a non-conductive enclosure
• The PZEM-004T has built-in isolation — use its provided terminal block connections

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📄 License

MIT License — feel free to use, modify, and build upon this project.

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Built with ☕ as part of Final Year Project — 2025/26