Inspecting solar panels after severe weather events typically requires bringing complex electrical equipment into the field or transporting the panels to indoor laboratories for testing. This costly process can now be streamlined with a photoluminescence-based imaging method advanced by researchers from the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Developed as part of the Durable Module Materials Consortium (DuraMAT), funded by the U.S. Department ofImages from bench testing show that cracks visible in an electroluminescence image (left) are also seen in a photoluminescence image taken with very simple, low-cost, and scalable hardware (right), with no electrical connection to the photovoltaic module. Source: U.S. Department of Energy Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office, the PLatypus device shines light on solar cells, which then re-emit light back to the device's cameras. Damaged cells will shine less brightly, quickly signaling the health of the panels.

The open-source, multi-camera nighttime photoluminescence imaging system offers a non-contact, low-profile, low-cost, very high-resolution alternative to existing field imaging techniques. PLatypus can collect a 100-megapixel image of a photovoltaic module in a few seconds with no electrical connection to the module needed.