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I took a few thermal images to compare intact and damaged solar panels under similar conditions.
The images were taken one after another at around 1 pm, with fairly low solar irradiance. Most of the panels had been stored outdoors for roughly one to two years. The panel in the final images was about two months old.
The first panel was intact and showed no obvious thermal anomaly.
Another panel had been hit by a forklift and the glass was extensively cracked. Despite the visible damage, the thermal difference was relatively small under these conditions.
A third panel had a lighter crack caused by strong pressure near the rear bypass diode junction box. This one showed a much clearer localised hotspot, at around 30°C in the thermal image.
I realise that low irradiance and the viewing angle can affect what appears in a thermal image, so this is not intended as a complete electrical assessment.
For those who work with domestic solar installations, how useful are thermal images like these when assessing cracked panels? Would you normally follow this with electrical testing before deciding whether a panel can remain in service?
The images were taken one after another at around 1 pm, with fairly low solar irradiance. Most of the panels had been stored outdoors for roughly one to two years. The panel in the final images was about two months old.
The first panel was intact and showed no obvious thermal anomaly.
Another panel had been hit by a forklift and the glass was extensively cracked. Despite the visible damage, the thermal difference was relatively small under these conditions.
A third panel had a lighter crack caused by strong pressure near the rear bypass diode junction box. This one showed a much clearer localised hotspot, at around 30°C in the thermal image.
I realise that low irradiance and the viewing angle can affect what appears in a thermal image, so this is not intended as a complete electrical assessment.
For those who work with domestic solar installations, how useful are thermal images like these when assessing cracked panels? Would you normally follow this with electrical testing before deciding whether a panel can remain in service?
