Thermal Image Analysis of Photovoltaic Panel for Condition Monitoring Using Hybrid Thermal Pixel Counting Algorithm and XGBoost Classifier

Abstract

The use of thermal infrared imaging and the advancement of image processing techniques have developed fault diagnosis of Photo Voltaic (PV) panels without the need to incorporate expensive electrical detection circuitry. PV thermal image processing, supports in continuous monitoring of panels without disturbing the continuity of operation and mitigates the problem of manual inspection involved over a large area. The thermal pictures of photo voltaic panels are used to identify the nature of faults such as bypass diode, cell under fault condition, circuit which is under open condition, hot spot, polarization, Cracking, Corrosion, discoloring and delamination. An automatic PV Computer Aided Diagnosis (CAD) based condition monitoring systems with thermal image analysis is developed to identify and classify the different fault conditions such as Hotspot, Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) Discoloration, Delamination and Open Circuit. The proposed system involves a hybrid thermal pixel counting algorithm to identify the thermal patterns. The Extreme Gradient Boosting algorithm (XGBoost) is used to detect the numerical characteristics of the captured image thermal variations to support in classification. The experimental results show that the proposed Hybrid Thermal Pixel Counting (HTPC) Algorithm with XGBOOST Classifier gives better detection accuracy with improved computational speed.

Keywords:

• Infrared thermography
• photovoltaic panels
• thermal pixel counting algorithm
• gamma correction
• XG boost classifier

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Gomathy Balasubramani

Gomathy Balasubramani is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering at Paavai College of Engineering, India. She has contributed to the field with publications in respected journals, including Energies - MDPI, and continues to explore innovative solutions for enhancing the performance and reliability of renewable energy systems. Her research interests lie in the field of renewable energies, with a specific focus on photovoltaic (PV) panel fault analysis.

Venkatesan Thangavelu

Venkatesan Thangavelu is a distinguished Professor in the field of Electrical and Electronics Engineering. He obtained his B.E. degree from Regional Engineering College, Tiruchirappalli in 1997, followed by an M.E. in Power System Engineering from Annamalai University in 2002. In 2013, he achieved his Ph.D. from Anna University, Chennai. Dr. Venkatesan Thangavelu currently serves as a dedicated Professor in the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering at K.S. Rangasamy College of Technology, Tiruchengode, India. His research prowess encompasses Economic Dispatch and Unit Commitment problem solutions using Demand Response and Control Techniques, Soft Computing Techniques, Renewable Energy Sources, Energy Management & Control, Electrical Drives, and Intelligent Techniques. His contributions are invaluable to the field of electrical engineering and hold promise for a sustainable energy future.