Novel Embedded System for Real-Time Fault Diagnosis of Photovoltaic Modules

Photovoltaic (PV) systems are increasingly deployed for renewable energy generation; however, their performance and reliability are often compromised by electrical faults, environmental stress, overheating, and mechanical disturbances.Undetected faults not only reduce power output but also pose safety risks and increase maintenance costs.To address these challenges, this paper presents a novel embedded system for real-time fault diagnosis and protection of photovoltaic modules, integrating multiple sensors and IoT-based monitoring.The proposed system continuously monitors critical PV parameters, including light intensity, voltage, current, temperature, and mechanical stability, using LDR, voltage and current sensors, DHT11 temperature sensor, and MEMS sensors.An Arduino UNO serves as the central controller for data acquisition, decision-making, and control actions.To enhance energy efficiency and system safety, a servo motor dynamically adjusts panel orientation for optimal sunlight exposure, while an active cooling mechanism that integrates using a DC pump and copper tubing prevents overheating.Real-time sensor data are transmitted to the cloud via a NodeMCU module, enabling remote monitoring, visualisation, and analysis.In the event of abnormal conditions, instant alerts are generated via a GSM module and a buzzer for timely intervention.Experimental implementation and hardware validation demonstrate that the proposed system effectively detects electrical, thermal, and mechanical faults while improving operational efficiency and reliability of PV installations.The developed architecture provides a low-cost, scalable, and intelligent solution for automated photovoltaic fault diagnosis and protection, suitable for both residential and small-scale industrial solar energy systems.