Solar Cell Crack Identification using Internet of Things (IoT)

Abstract: The main aim of this project is to propose an automated inspection technique of solar cell panel to detect cracks and monitor its output round the clock. This monitoring is done from anywhere and anytime with the help of Internet of Things (IoT). From the manufacturer's point of view, the inspection of the solar cell panel is essentially performed to obtain a high quality product. The power generated by the cells can be simultaneously calculated, as the current value is updated periodically to the control room and/or to the mobile monitoring app via internet. When there is a drop in the current and voltage values of the solar panel, a notification is received in the developed application. Further a mail is being sent to the configured mail IDs regarding the parameters of the solar panel which in turn will help us to detect the damaged/cracked solar panel. The monitoring is carried out using current sensors which senses current of the individual solar panels and with a help of microcontroller, raspberry Pi 3 and Relay driver it is taken to the load. Raspberry Pi 3 interfaces with mobile application using Wi-Fi technology and updates the status of the solar panel to the users all around the world.

Keywords: Solar Cell, Internet of Things (IoT), Crack Identification, Mobile Application, Inspection Technique and Current Sensors.