Which technique is commonly used to identify hotspots in solar modules?

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Multiple Choice

Which technique is commonly used to identify hotspots in solar modules?

Hotspots in solar modules show up as localized areas of higher temperature, so the technique that best reveals them is thermal imaging. Infrared cameras detect the surface temperature of each cell or area, turning temperature differences into a visual map. When a module is under normal operation, a hotspot will appear as a bright spot on the thermal image, pointing to potential issues like damaged cells, cracked interconnections, or shading effects that cause current to concentrate and heat up. This approach is non-contact, fast, and can cover large arrays—often used in field inspections or drone surveys to quickly screen for problems. The other methods don’t identify heat-related anomalies: ultrasonic testing looks for structural defects using sound waves; X-ray diffraction analyzes crystal structure; magnetic resonance imaging is designed for different applications and isn’t practical for inspecting PV modules.

Hotspots in solar modules show up as localized areas of higher temperature, so the technique that best reveals them is thermal imaging. Infrared cameras detect the surface temperature of each cell or area, turning temperature differences into a visual map. When a module is under normal operation, a hotspot will appear as a bright spot on the thermal image, pointing to potential issues like damaged cells, cracked interconnections, or shading effects that cause current to concentrate and heat up.

This approach is non-contact, fast, and can cover large arrays—often used in field inspections or drone surveys to quickly screen for problems. The other methods don’t identify heat-related anomalies: ultrasonic testing looks for structural defects using sound waves; X-ray diffraction analyzes crystal structure; magnetic resonance imaging is designed for different applications and isn’t practical for inspecting PV modules.

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