HOTSPOT-YOLO: A Lightweight Deep Learning Attention-Driven Model for Detecting Thermal Anomalies in Drone-Based Solar Photovoltaic Inspections
This work addresses the need for efficient and scalable fault detection in renewable energy systems, though it is incremental as it builds on existing object detection methods with attention mechanisms.
The study tackled the problem of detecting thermal anomalies like hotspots in solar photovoltaic systems using drone-based inspections, achieving a mean average precision of 90.8% with a lightweight model that maintains real-time performance.
Thermal anomaly detection in solar photovoltaic (PV) systems is essential for ensuring operational efficiency and reducing maintenance costs. In this study, we developed and named HOTSPOT-YOLO, a lightweight artificial intelligence (AI) model that integrates an efficient convolutional neural network backbone and attention mechanisms to improve object detection. This model is specifically designed for drone-based thermal inspections of PV systems, addressing the unique challenges of detecting small and subtle thermal anomalies, such as hotspots and defective modules, while maintaining real-time performance. Experimental results demonstrate a mean average precision of 90.8%, reflecting a significant improvement over baseline object detection models. With a reduced computational load and robustness under diverse environmental conditions, HOTSPOT-YOLO offers a scalable and reliable solution for large-scale PV inspections. This work highlights the integration of advanced AI techniques with practical engineering applications, revolutionizing automated fault detection in renewable energy systems.