Thermal-Aware Attention-Driven Deep Learning for Intelligent Solar Panel Defect Detection

Abstract

As global awareness of climate change grows, renewable energy sources like solar power have become increasingly important. Photovoltaic (PV) systems, which convert sunlight into electricity using solar cells, are widely used due to their sustainability, low maintenance costs, and ease of installation. However, PV panels often suffer from defects such as cracks, hot spots, and shading, which can significantly reduce energy conversion efficiency and, if left undetected, lead to system failure. To address this, the paper proposes a deep learning classification model that combines Inception modules, Attention mechanisms, and Bi-directional Long Short-Term Memory (BiLSTM) to detect solar panel defects from thermal infrared images. The model is trained and evaluated on a public dataset containing 5,352 thermal images of solar panels, with labels indicating the presence or absence of thermal defects. Three data partitioning strategies are applied to assess model performance under different validation conditions and key evaluation metrics. The proposed model achieved an accuracy of 91.56%, an AUC of 0.9677, and an F1-Score of 95.33%. Furthermore, a user-friendly graphical interface has been developed to allow users to upload thermal images and receive instant classification results. This system enhances defect detection efficiency, supports preventive maintenance, extends panel lifespan, and reduces long-term operational costs in solar energy systems.