A Faulty Solar Panel Detecting and Mapping Method Using aDrone with RGB and Thermal Cameras in Solar Power Plant

Abstract

A solar panel generates electricity power using the sun's rays. It isusually located on a rooftop or open field without shadow. This solar panelis hard to be tested by nonprofessionals. Therefore, we propose a detectingsystem for a faulty solar panel using a drone with an RGB camera and athermal camera. The drone is applied for collecting aerial videos. The RGBcamera is operated to find the location of solar panels with solar panelfeatures, such as the rectangle shape and the surface color of the solar panel.The thermal camera is deployed to search for error spots in solar panels.Since error spots are not able to convert the sun's rays into electricity, theyreflect the sun's rays. Therefore, the temperature of the error spot is higherthan normal solar panels. The proposed system is tested in two real workingsolar power plants. We confirmed that the proposed system can be appliedwithout professional knowledge.