Photovoltaic Array Fault Detection and Optimization Using Machine Learning

The increasing demand for clean energy solutions requires more than just expansion, but also improvements in the efficiency of renewable sources, such as solar. This requires analytics for each panel regarding voltage, current, temperature, and irradiance. This project involves the development of machine learning algorithms along with a data logger for the purpose of photovoltaic (PV) monitoring and control. Machine learning is used for fault classification. Once a fault is detected, the system can change its reconfiguration to minimize the power losses. Accuracy in the fault detection was demonstrated to be at a level over 90% and topology reconfiguration showed to increase power output by as much as 5%.