Experimental Investigation on Thermal Analysis for Solar Panel using Fiber Bragg Grating Sensor

Monitoring the temperature of the installed solar panels is crucial since the deployment of oceanic solar power plants is on the rise. The temperature variations due to solar radiation has an influence on the solar panel’s overall efficiency. Hence it is essential to oversee and regulate the solar panel temperature. For this purpose, the existing temperature sensor such as Resistance thermal detector, temperature gauge sensors etc., lack accuracy and have a long response time. Fiber optic sensors has an edge over conventional sensors in accuracy, sampling rate and response time. In this experimental study, we consider the Fiber Bragg grating which is inscribed on the solar panel to monitor the temperature fluctuations. Polymer coating is generally used for protection of the fiber optic sensors and improving elasticity. In this study, we primarily consider the acrylate polymer for sensitivity enhancement. The incident solar radiation with respect to temperature fluctuation and the angle of panel is quantitatively found and qualitatively plotted. The enhancement in the solar panel’s effectiveness due to the acrylate coating of the fiber bragg grating sensor compared to other coating are studied in a comprehensive manner. Temperature sensitivity of 7 pm/°C is achieved. The findings aid in dynamic panel temperature monitoring, the microscale comprehension of thermal interactions, and the streamlined measurement of many solar farm panels average temperatures. The suggested enhanced technique of FBG sensor based solar panel temperature monitoring may be advantageous for the design of a unified cooling system to increase the solar panel performance.