Protecting solar panels from damage due to overheating

A solar panel, comprising:

• a plurality of solar cells;
• a plurality of thermochromic temperature sensors thermally coupled to different areas of the solar panel, wherein the thermochromic temperature sensors are configured to change color in response to heat generated by the solar cells in the different areas of the solar panel;
• an optical system configured to capture colored light which emerges from each thermochromic temperature sensor;
• and
• a photodetector module configured to convert the colored light from each thermochromic temperature sensor into electrical signals which are processed to determine the temperature of each of the different areas of the solar panel.

A method, comprising:

• protecting a solar panel from damage due to overheating, the solar panel comprising a plurality of solar cells, and a plurality of thermochromic temperature sensors thermally coupled to different areas of the solar panel, wherein the thermochromic temperature sensors are configured to change color in response to heat generated by the solar cells in the different areas of the solar panel, wherein protecting the solar panel from damage comprises:
• detecting colors of the thermochromic temperature sensors;
• determining a temperature of each area of the solar panel based on the detected colors of the thermochromic temperature sensors;
• causing the solar panel to shut down in response to determining that the temperature of at least one area of the solar panel exceeds a predetermined temperature threshold.