{"id":3232,"date":"2025-07-03T20:25:57","date_gmt":"2025-07-03T20:25:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/?p=3232"},"modified":"2025-08-06T18:10:12","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T18:10:12","slug":"how-ni-daq-and-crio-modules-are-powering-the-future-of-clean-energy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/how-ni-daq-and-crio-modules-are-powering-the-future-of-clean-energy\/","title":{"rendered":"How NI DAQ and cRIO Modules are Powering the Future of Clean Energy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/How-DAQ-are-Powering-Future-of-Clean-Energy.mp3\"><\/audio><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong><em>Listen to this post<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">As the demand for environmentally conscious solutions grows, so does the complexity of clean energy systems. Solar power, smart tech, and even wind turbines all pose unique challenges for testing environments. The accuracy of real-time data acquisition is vital for these clean energy industries, and many companies are relying on modular NI hardware to address their data recording and validation needs. Let\u2019s take a look at how two different industries are utilizing NI DAQ and CompactRIO hardware to power the future of clean energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-c0fd2b13f92aca8f67c5f45cf071de44\" style=\"font-size:25px\"><strong>KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS POST:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 CompactRIO and LabVIEW were used to create a custom DAQ platform for small wind turbines, compliant with international standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 Data-driven design optimization allows manufacturers to optimize the efficiency, capacity, and integrity of their operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 cRIO FPGA, LabVIEW, and DAQ modules allowed for seamless integration of PV, BEMS, HEMS, and BESS modules in a fully functional microgrid setup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 The FGPA-based design of the microgrid streamlined debugging, allowed for direct sensor interfacing, and made it easier to deploy logic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/thomas-reaubourg-JRUVbgJJTBM-unsplash-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"White wind turbines in a field\" class=\"wp-image-3233\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/thomas-reaubourg-JRUVbgJJTBM-unsplash-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/thomas-reaubourg-JRUVbgJJTBM-unsplash-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-213c9940ecce72aabf3f50a0614da4f1\" style=\"font-size:25px\"><strong>Using cRIO and DAQ to Optimize Small Wind Turbines<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>NI Hardware Used:<br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/modular-systems\/national-instruments\/compactrio-controllers\/cRIO-9014\">cRIO-9014<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/modular-systems\/national-instruments\/c-series\/NI-9234\">NI 9234<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/modular-systems\/national-instruments\/c-series\/NI-9219\">NI 9219<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/modular-systems\/national-instruments\/c-series\/NI-9205\">NI 9205<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>The Problem:<br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aresse.com\/\">Aresse Engineering<\/a><\/strong>, a testing and monitoring company based in Spain, was tasked with gathering and assessing the data required by international standards to confirm the functionality of small-scale wind turbines. The data gathered would be given to the turbine manufacturer to make any changes necessary to optimize their design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>The Solution:<br><\/strong>Aresse Engineering partnered with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kliux.com\/en\/\"><strong>Kliux Energies<\/strong><\/a>, a wind turbine manufacturer known for its proprietary and patented \u201cvertical-axis wind turbine\u201d technology. Kliux\u2019s focus on custom distributed energy solutions was a perfect complement to Aresse Engineering\u2019s goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Together, these powerhouse companies set to work on creating a custom system that used NI\u2019s CompactRIO platform as a base. The system was defined by data from four distinct subsystems: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 <strong>Reference Condition<\/strong>, which used a <strong>cRIO-9014 <\/strong>controller to gather data about the humidity, temperature, pressure, and wind speed to determine how much energy the turbine could produce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"507\" src=\"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-1024x507.png\" alt=\"Front and side view of the cRIO-9014 controller from NI\" class=\"wp-image-3234\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-1024x507.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-300x148.png 300w, https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image.png 1065w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 <strong>Operational<\/strong>, which paired an <strong>NI 9234 <\/strong>sound and vibration input module with a G.R.A.S. microphone and a PCB tri-axial accelerometer for predictive machine condition monitoring. A <strong>PT-100 RTD Sensor<\/strong> was also used in this subsystem to deliver temperature info to an <strong>NI 9219<\/strong> C Series module.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 <strong>Loading<\/strong>, which used a single <strong>NI 9205<\/strong> to gather data from several sensors along the rotor and the tower to ensure that the aerodynamic loads matched the analytical design. In addition, an <strong>NI 9219<\/strong> analog input module conditionalized the axial load and bending moments of the tower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 <strong>Electrical Parameters<\/strong>, which assessed overall performance of the turbine by using magnetic sensors at the generator and the inverter to compute the generation of electrical energy with a second <strong>NI 9205 <\/strong>module<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In terms of software, the system used a custom application built using <strong>NI LabVIEW<\/strong>. In the end, Aresse Engineering and Kliux Energies were able to leverage the powerful versatility of NI\u2019s modular platforms to successfully monitor and evaluate the performance of small-scale wind turbines to satisfy market demands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pixelbard-ZL-NcA965js-unsplash-edited-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"The Nanyang Technological University campus in Singapore\" class=\"wp-image-3236\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pixelbard-ZL-NcA965js-unsplash-edited-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pixelbard-ZL-NcA965js-unsplash-edited-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pixelbard-ZL-NcA965js-unsplash-edited-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pixelbard-ZL-NcA965js-unsplash-edited-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Nanyang Technological University in Singapore<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-42a39a4a1161f86ea04523cb11481ca2\" style=\"font-size:25px\"><strong>Creating a Prototype Smart Grid using cRIO, DAQ, and LabVIEW<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>NI Hardware Used:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/modular-systems\/national-instruments\/compactrio-controllers\/cRIO-9082\">cRIO-9082<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/modular-systems\/national-instruments\/ni-power-supplies\/PS-15\">PS-15<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/modular-systems\/national-instruments\/c-series\/NI-9225\">NI 9225<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/modular-systems\/national-instruments\/c-series\/NI-9401\">NI 9401<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/modular-systems\/national-instruments\/c-series\/NI-9227\">NI 9227<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/modular-systems\/national-instruments\/m-series\/USB-6215\">USB-6215<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>The Problem:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">The <strong>Laboratory for Clean Energy Research<\/strong>, part of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ntu.edu.sg\/\">Nanyang Technological University<\/a><\/strong>&#8216;s School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, is home to the <strong>Microgrid Energy Management System<\/strong> (MG-EMS) prototype. This award-winning prototype integrates with NI hardware to enable real-time control of load and generation management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">With an ever-growing need to efficiently manage the energy flow of modern electrical grids, the focus of researchers is on renewable energy sources, energy storage systems, and smart home devices. While traditional grid infrastructures lack flexibility, the team from Nanyang Technological University made it their mission to combine the microgrid with Home Energy Management Systems (HEMS) and Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS), allowing the system to demonstrate the functionality of a next-generation smart grid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>The Solution:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>A Storage System for Battery Energy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">The team from Nanyang Technological University began their approach to this challenge by finding a way to extend the lifespan and dependability of an FPGA-based battery energy storage system (<strong>BESS<\/strong>). This was accomplished by first connecting a <strong>cRIO-9082<\/strong> <strong>controller <\/strong>to a <strong>PS-15<\/strong> <strong>power supply<\/strong>. This controller was essential to the system, as it managed both digital I\/O channel and voltage sensing functions. Every second, an <strong>NI 9225 voltage input module<\/strong> and an <strong>NI 9401 digital module<\/strong> operated each battery&#8217;s parallel switch and assessed its voltage.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">In terms of software, a Xilinx interface was used to deploy a <strong>LabVIEW<\/strong>-developed balancing algorithm to the controller\u2019s FPGA. This algorithm included three modes; manual balancing, passive, and automatic.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>A Maximum Power Point Tracking System<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">The team also developed a <strong>Maximum Power Point Tracking<\/strong> (MPPT) system using <strong>NI 9225<\/strong> and <strong>NI 9227<\/strong> C Series modules. This system could directly measure Photovoltaic (PV) voltage and current, which is the technology that converts sunlight into electricity using solar cells. Both instantaneous voltage and current were used to implement the MPPT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"673\" src=\"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pexels-pixabay-356036-1024x673.jpg\" alt=\"Solar panels with a cloudy blue sky in the background\" class=\"wp-image-3237\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pexels-pixabay-356036-1024x673.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pexels-pixabay-356036-300x197.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">The MPPT was implemented with the \u201c<strong>Perturb-and-Observe<\/strong>\u201d technique, which is a method that perturbs the PV system by increasing the array operating voltage and measuring the impact on the array\u2019s output power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>Demand Response Management for BEMS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">The researching team created their own real-time Building Energy Management System that was able to monitor, manage, and control every load and energy source installed in a commercial building. By integrating the BEMS with communication and control hardware components (including the <strong>USB-6215 <\/strong>and <strong>NI-VISA<\/strong> interface), the system was capable of performing Demand Response Management (DRM). The DRM was broken into three functions; load shedding, VSD control, and \u201csump pump scheduling\u201d.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>A ZigBee Based Home Energy Management System<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">For the Home Energy Management System, the team was able to build a <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ti.com\/technologies\/wired-wireless-connectivity\/zigbee\/overview.html#:~:text=Zigbee%C2%AE%20is%20a%20standards,less%20operation%20across%20industrial%20temperatures.\">ZigBee<\/a><\/strong>-based system that was comprised of a smart meter, an Ethernet-ZigBee gateway, and a <strong>SCADA <\/strong>(Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition). The database and software modules were all created using LabVIEW.&nbsp; The system allowed users to manage or track how much energy their devices (such as intelligent blinds and smart lighting) used via load control modules (LCMs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">The seamless integration of these systems allowed for real-time control, energy savings, and advanced demand response management. By using NI DAQ modular hardware and LabVIEW programming, the team from Nanyang Technological University successfully created a fully functional smart grid system\u2014complete with BESS, MPPT, and BEMS components.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-outline is-style-outline--1\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ni.com\/en\/solutions\/energy\/case-studies\/ensuring-the-safety-and-performance-of-small-scale-wind-turbines.html?srsltid=AfmBOopwZm5CNDOF85hZdnwBskKoW3Y2_t1ng9ESPc39yjmaJAVnH1F-&amp;\">Wind Turbine Case Study<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-outline is-style-outline--2\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ni.com\/en\/solutions\/energy\/case-studies\/developing-a-functional-smart-grid-prototype.html?srsltid=AfmBOoq1I-GN6GAF_67d1AE0Kq6dUKPKX7t4lp1sY9UKirdm11Re9uBh&amp;\">Smart Grid Case Study<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the demand for environmentally conscious solutions grows, so does the complexity of clean energy systems. Solar power, smart tech, and even wind turbines all pose unique challenges for testing environments. The accuracy of real-time data acquisition is vital for these clean energy industries, and many companies are relying on modular NI hardware to address [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3233,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,8],"tags":[110,139,318,393,437,444,921],"class_list":["post-3232","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-case-study","category-national-instruments","tag-case-study","tag-compactrio","tag-labview","tag-national-instruments","tag-ni","tag-ni-daq","tag-test-equipment"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3232","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3232"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3232\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3274,"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3232\/revisions\/3274"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3233"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3232"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3232"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3232"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}