Design and Implementation of a Smart Solar Thermal Monitoring and Predictive Control System With Autonomous Fault Mitigation

Abstract

Solar thermal energy systems are important in sustainable energy solutions. However, maintaining their efficiency and reliability is a challenge due to delayed fault detection and reactive maintenance practices. This study proposes a smart solar thermal monitoring and control system designed to improve system reliability through real-time monitoring, predictive control, and automated fault mitigation. The proposed system integrates sensor-based monitoring with an Arduino-based control architecture and a digital dashboard developed using Streamlit. A Proteus simulation environment was used to model the solar thermal hardware setup and monitor key parameters such as the temperature, pressure, and flow rate. The system uses autonomous fault mitigation mechanisms for abnormal conditions such as collector overheating, predictive heating control to maintain desired operating temperatures. It also includes an SMS notification system to alert maintenance personnel when critical faults occur or when automated mitigation mechanisms fail. The simulation results demonstrate that the system can successfully detect system anomalies, initiate appropriate automated responses, and provide real-time visualization of system status through the monitoring dashboard. These findings demonstrate the potential of intelligent monitoring frameworks to improve the efficiency, safety and better maintenance of solar thermal installations.