Solar Energy Faults
Solar Energy Faults
Today, as the demand for environmentally friendly energy sources grows, solar power plants are becoming more widespread. However, no technology is infallible, which means that the panels in solar power plants may experience failures from time to time.
If solar panels experience a loss of efficiency, it could be due to external factors such as shading on the roof or contamination on the panel surface, or for some other reason. There can also be internal problems, such as loose wiring or corrosion at connection points.
Thermal inspections of solar power plants help us to understand the causes of faults and which of the panels has the problem. It is important to control external factors, such as regular cleaning of the panels, cutting down trees around the roof or proper placement of PV panels. For internal problems, regularly check the connections of the panels and maintenance should be carried out when necessary.
Inverter Faults
Inverter failures often lead to sudden drops in solar energy production or to a complete cessation of energy production. They can occur for reasons such as high voltage, low voltage or overheating.
It is necessary to maintain a cooling air flow around the inverter, check the connections regularly to ensure the correct voltage and current, and update or repair the inverter as needed.
Solar energy systems generally use batteries to store energy. Battery failures lead to a reduction in energy storage capacity, sudden energy drops or complete loss of energy storage function.
Batteries need regular maintenance, keeping them at the correct charge levels and avoiding over-discharging. If a battery cell is damaged, it must be replaced quickly.
Cables and Connections
Connection problems such as cable breaks, loosening or corrosion adversely affect the flow of energy.
Cables and connection points should be checked regularly. If corrosion is present, the area should be cleaned and replaced if necessary. The safety of the cables should be ensured by tightening the connection points at regular intervals.
Lightning and Surge Protection
Lightning strikes or overvoltages can damage solar energy systems. Solar energy systems can be protected by installing lightning strike protection systems and using surge protective devices.
Artificial Intelligence Solves Problems in Solar Power Systems
In the process of moving away from traditional fossil fuels and towards clean energy sources, solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation is an important alternative. However, proper maintenance and operation strategies are required for PV systems to operate continuously and reliably. In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) technologies have been used in this field to improve the performance of PV systems and to predict and solve failure situations.
MapperX is an AI-based software developed to maximize the performance of solar power plants. This innovative technology analyzes thermal images of solar panels using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with thermal cameras. Thanks to these analyzes, malfunctions and performance degradations that may occur in PV panels are precisely detected.
MapperX optimizes routine maintenance processes, saving time and labor. It also prevents serious damage by detecting potential failures in PV panels in advance. This results in huge cost savings for SPP operators.
The role of artificial intelligence in solar energy applications is evident in various real-life scenarios. PV systems in particular can face failures that affect system efficiency, damage components and even pose serious safety risks such as fire threats. These failures are generally categorized as physical, environmental and electrical.
Physical failures include damage inside PV panels, panel cracks, faults in bypass diodes and broken panels. Environmental failures are caused by external factors such as bird falls, dust accumulation, cloud movements and tree shadows. Electrical faults include problems that can occur in electrical components such as MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) faults, open circuits, ground faults, line faults, short circuits, arcing.
MapperX can detect such faults as soon as possible and continuously monitor, analyze and even predict potential problems in the future. For example, AI algorithms supported by sensors and data analysis detect cracks or intracellular damage to PV panels at an early stage. This makes it possible to plan system maintenance in advance and thus minimize breakdowns.
Regular maintenance and inspections are essential to prevent and resolve failures in solar power plants.
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