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REVARQ

REVARQ ARC-6

Adaptive Energy.Reconfigured.

An adaptive photovoltaic array reconfiguration platform designed to sense module-level operating conditions and dynamically modify array topology.

Explore ARC-6View Dashboard
REVARQ ARC-6: six photovoltaic modules in a three-by-two arrangement on a steel support frame, with the ARC-6 controller and switching unit standing in front of the array.
REVARQ ARC-6
Adaptive Photovoltaic Array Reconfiguration System

Engineered in India

Solar generation is dynamic.Its electrical architecture doesn’t have to be static.

Conventional photovoltaic arrays are typically interconnected in a fixed electrical configuration. Under non-uniform operating conditions, individual modules can experience different electrical behaviour.

ARC-6 investigates whether array topology itself can become an adaptive control variable.

The problem

One array.Different module conditions.

Photovoltaic modules within the same array do not always experience identical operating conditions.

Six-module photovoltaic array under non-uniform operating conditions

Six photovoltaic modules are shown in one array, arranged three across and two deep. Five are under nominal conditions and one, PV5, is partially shaded across roughly the left half of its cells, illustrating non-uniform module operating conditions within a single array.

Causes of non-uniform operation

  • Partial shadingshown
  • Irradiance variation
  • Temperature difference
  • Soiling
  • Orientation
  • Module mismatch

Degradation and broader environmental variation contribute over longer timescales.

When module operating conditions diverge, their electrical characteristics can diverge as well.

In a fixed array architecture, those differences must still be accommodated within the existing interconnection.

Photovoltaic systems already manage these effects — bypass diodes limit the influence of a shaded cell string, and maximum power point tracking follows the operating point of an array or sub-array.

REVARQ is investigating a further control dimension: the electrical topology of the array itself. That is the problem space ARC-6 is built to examine.

Dynamic conditions

Every module experiences its own reality.

Irradiance, shading, temperature and mismatch can cause individual photovoltaic modules to operate differently.

Module

Condition state

  • PV1Nominal
  • PV2Nominal
  • PV3Irradiance variation
  • PV4Nominal
  • PV5Partial shading
  • PV6Temperature variation

Illustrative condition states — not measured values

Operating conditions are not a property an array is commissioned with. They change through the day, across seasons, and with the environment a system happens to sit in.

A system that treats those conditions as fixed can only respond to them indirectly. One that measures them can respond to them deliberately.

REVARQ

  1. 01

    Observes.

    Module-level conditions are measured independently.

  2. 02

    Evaluates.

    Divergence between modules is assessed against the control strategy.

  3. 03

    Adapts.

    A permitted array topology is selected and applied.

If the operating condition can change, the system should be able to observe that change.

REVARQ ARC-6

Meet ARC-6.

Adaptive Photovoltaic Array Reconfiguration System

ARC-6 is REVARQ’s experimental platform for investigating module-level monitoring and controlled photovoltaic array reconfiguration.

It is a proof-of-concept engineering platform, built to make the idea testable in hardware rather than to demonstrate a finished product. What follows describes the prototype as it currently stands.

Current prototype

PV modules
6
Sensing
Module-level
Edge control
ESP32
Sensor bus
I²C multiplexed
Switching
Relay matrix
Operating modes
AUTO / MANUAL
Safe state
SAFE/OFF
Interface
Web dashboard

Module-level sensing

ARC-6 observes every module,every moment.

The ARC-6 prototype uses module-level electrical sensing to observe the operating behaviour of each photovoltaic module independently.
ARC-6 module-level sensing architectureSix photovoltaic modules, PV1 to PV6, arranged three across and two deep. Each module has its own electrical sensing point measuring voltage, current and power, and each sends an independent signal path down to a shared I²C multiplexer, which connects to the ESP32 edge controller. No array interconnection is shown; this diagram describes observation only.PV1V · I · PPV2V · I · PPV3V · I · PPV4V · I · PPV5V · I · PPV6V · I · PTCA9548A — I²C MULTIPLEXERARC-6 EDGE CONTROLLERESP32INA219 MODULE-LEVEL SENSING

Channels observed per module — no measured dataset is shown

The purpose is not simply to measure total array output.

The control system needs visibility into how individual modules are behaving before array-level decisions can be investigated. A single output reading describes the array; it does not describe the modules inside it.

The measurements taken at each module are electrical — voltage, current and the power derived from them. Irradiance, temperature and shading are inferred conditions, not quantities this sensing chain measures directly.

Modules
PV1 – PV6
Sensing
INA219, per module
Bus
TCA9548A I²C multiplexer
Controller
ESP32 edge controller

Six modules. Six independent perspectives. One adaptive array.

Control principle

Sense.Analyze.Decide.Reconfigure.Verify.

One control loop, five stages. Each depends on the one before it, and the last returns to the first.

  1. 01

    Sense

    Observe module-level electrical behaviour.

    Each module is measured independently rather than inferred from a single array reading.

  2. 02

    Analyze

    Evaluate individual module conditions and array behaviour.

    Divergence between modules is what makes a topology decision worth considering at all.

  3. 03

    Decide

    Select an allowed array topology according to the control strategy.

    The prototype's AUTO mode applies rule-based selection over the permitted topologies. It is not an autonomous optimiser, and it is not presented as one.

  4. 04

    Reconfigure

    Execute the permitted switching sequence.

    The existing configuration is removed and the array passes through SAFE/OFF before another is established.

  5. 05

    Verify

    Measure the resulting electrical state.

    Verification closes the loop: what it observes becomes the input to the next sensing cycle.

Verification is not the end of the process. The state it measures becomes the next observation, and the loop begins again.

Adaptive reconfiguration

What if the wiringcould respond?

ARC-6 investigates photovoltaic array topology as a controllable electrical variable.

The six modules remain physically unchanged. The permitted electrical interconnection can change.

Six photovoltaic modules connected in parallel. Each module is connected between the positive and negative array buses.BUS +BUS −PV1PV2PV3PV4PV5PV6OUT +OUT −ARRAY OUTPUT
Displayed topology
6P
Transition state
SETTLED

6P established.

Select a configuration

Step 1 of 11

  1. 6P(settled)
  2. 6P(breaking)
  3. SAFE/OFF(safe)
  4. 2S3P(configuring)
  5. 2S3P(verifying)
  6. 2S3P(settled)
  7. 2S3P(breaking)
  8. SAFE/OFF(safe)
  9. 3S2P(configuring)
  10. 3S2P(verifying)
  11. 3S2P(settled)

Break-before-make

ARC-6’s reconfiguration sequence is designed around a disconnected intermediate state: the existing configuration is removed before another permitted configuration is established.

In the prototype control sequence there is no path from one operating topology directly to another. Every change passes through SAFE/OFF, where no operating conductors exist and the array output is isolated.

This is a controlled disconnected state within the ARC-6 architecture — a defined step in the switching sequence, not a fault condition and not a certified safety disconnect.

Supported topologies

One array.Multiple electrical configurations.

ARC-6 is designed to investigate controlled reconfiguration between a defined set of permitted photovoltaic array topologies.

The six physical modules remain the same. Their electrical interconnection changes.

Six photovoltaic modules connected in parallel. Each module is connected between the positive and negative array buses.BUS +BUS −PV1PV2PV3PV4PV5PV6OUT +OUT −ARRAY OUTPUT

Configuration

6P

Six modules in parallel.

Modules in series
1
Parallel strings
6
Modules used
6

Strings

  • PV1
  • PV2
  • PV3
  • PV4
  • PV5
  • PV6

Six photovoltaic modules connected in parallel. Each module is connected between the positive and negative array buses.

System architecture

From module sensing to array output

In development — Phase 5

Hardware

Built to test the idea in hardware

In development — Phase 5 — awaiting prototype photography

Software

See what the array sees

In development — Phase 5

Controlled switching

Reconfiguration must be controlled

In development — Phase 4

Validation

We measure before we claim

In development — Phase 6 — awaiting experimental data

Applications

Where adaptive PV architecture could matter

In development — Phase 6

Roadmap

ARC-6 is the beginning

In development — Phase 6

About REVARQ

What if photovoltaic systems could adapt to the conditions they experience?

In development — Phase 7

How we build

Measure first. Adapt deliberately. Validate physically.

In development — Phase 7

Team

The engineers building REVARQ

In development — Phase 7 — awaiting team details

Mentors & advisors

Guided by experience

In development — Phase 7 — awaiting mentor details

Collaboration

Let's build what's next

In development — Phase 7 — awaiting contact address