Electromechanical Impedance-Based Damage Detection for Delamination in Photovoltaic System: A Structural Health Monitoring Approach

Electromechanical Impedance (EMI)-based Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is a promising Non- Destructive Testing (NDT) technology that remains largely unexplored for detecting structural damage in photovoltaic (PV) systems. This study develops a comprehensive EMI monitoring system to identify delamination—a critical structural fault—in PV solar cells. By simulating a square solar cell, the fundamental unit of PV arrays, and employing piezoelectric smart materials to capture impedance changes, the system successfully distinguishes delamination scenarios based on their unique electromechanical responses. These results demonstrate, for the first time, the effectiveness of EMI- based NDT in detecting damage within PV systems. This pioneering work lays the foundation for expanding EMI techniques to identify various structural faults, advancing the reliability and maintenance of renewable energy technologies.