Dust, fallen leaves, or obstructions on photovoltaic panels are automatically identified as hazards by OpenMV

The photovoltaic panel “appearing fine” does not necessarily indicate normal power generation efficiency. Local shading and dust accumulation often persist for extended periods yet remain difficult to detect. OpenMV enables photovoltaic operation and maintenance to no longer rely entirely on manual inspections.

During the operation of photovoltaic power plants, foreign matter such as dust accumulation, fallen leaves and bird droppings on the surface of photovoltaic panels directly reduces light absorption efficiency, leading to decreased power generation; over time, this may even accelerate component ageing and shorten equipment service life.

For large-scale photovoltaic arrays, manual inspection is not only inefficient but also unable to promptly detect local anomalies. Based on SingTown’s OpenMV intelligent camera, long-term and stable visual monitoring of photovoltaic panel operational status can be achieved, enabling automatic identification and timely handling of foreign object issues.

The camera can be permanently mounted on a support structure to cover multiple photovoltaic module areas and continuously capture images of the PV panel surfaces. OpenMV performs on-device regional segmentation to delineate the effective operating areas of the PV panels and, by combining foreign-object feature recognition with status comparison analysis, automatically determines whether abnormal dust accumulation, leaf obstruction, or local contamination is present.

By comparing the current image with a normal reference, the system can identify abnormal areas affecting power generation efficiency and output the identification results. These results can directly trigger cleaning equipment, operations and maintenance systems, or alarm modules at the edge, enabling immediate action upon detection without uploading large volumes of image data to the cloud.

Leveraging OpenMV’s edge computing capabilities and low-power design, this solution is particularly suitable for long-term deployment in large-scale, distributed photovoltaic scenarios.