Monitoring of Defects of a Photovoltaic Power Plant Using a Drone

Martin Libra,Václav Beránek,Milan Daneček,Vladislav Poulek,Jan Sedláček,Jan Lešetický

doi:10.3390/en12050795

Martin Libra, Václav Beránek + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/en12050795

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Abstract

Drone infrared camera monitoring of photovoltaic (PV) power plants allows us to quickly see a large area and to find the worst defects in PV panels, namely cracked PV cells with broken contacts. Roofs are suitable for the integration of PV power plants into buildings. The power plant at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, which was monitored by this method, does not show any significant defects, and the produced electric energy exceeds the expected values. On the contrary, the PV power plant in Ladná has visible defects, and the data monitoring system Solarmon-2.0 also indicates defects. Our newly developed data monitoring system Solarmon-2.0 has been successfully used in 65 PV power plants in the Czech Republic and in many PV power plants throughout the world. Data are archived and interpreted in our dispatch area at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague. The monitoring system can report possible failure(s) if the measured amount of energy differs from the expected value(s). The relation of the measured values of PV power to the PV panel temperature is justified, which is consistent with the physical theory of semiconductors.

Highlights

In the first decade of this century, a series of on-grid photovoltaic (PV) power plants were installed in the Czech Republic
We present the monitoring of a small PV power plant (10 kWp ) integrated into the building roof using an infrared camera that is onboard a drone
We consider roofs to be a very convenient place to install small PV power plants that are to be integrated into buildings

Summary

Introduction

In the first decade of this century, a series of on-grid photovoltaic (PV) power plants were installed in the Czech Republic. A subsidy policy in the Czech Republic has been supporting the installations of photovoltaic power plants since 2006. Building-integrated PV power plants are currently being installed more frequently. If the contact is interrupted, the electrical current flows only across a certain part of the damaged PV cell, which limits the current flowing through serially connected PV cells This reduces the efficiency of PV energy conversion. There were studied faults of PV systems in other references, for example early degradation of silicon PV modules [10] and statistics of the faults [11] It is the detection of thermal inhomogeneity by the infrared camera and the detection of cracks by the method of electroluminescence of PV cells after introducing the electric current into the PV panel from an external source. There have been described design optimization of roof integrated PV systems [14], estimation of solar energy potential on building roofs [15], energy analysis of a solar house [16]

Materials and Methods

Results and Discussion

Electric

Conclusions

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