Aerial Imaging / Hotspot Detection

Using drones to conduct thermal and visual inspections of solar panels found on utility-scale installations can identify defects or solar panels or strings or groups that may be offline. An aerial inspection can identify when strings, solar panels, and sections are offline because inverters not running.

Imaging often identifies broken modules or hot spots on modules.

Aerial inspections enable you to 

  1. Identify, document, and diagnose panel degradation
  2. Scan inverters and data capture vegetation management. 
  3. Register modules output 
  4. Make a warranty claim 
  5. Drones can survey an entire solar farm to identify faults in a fraction of the time and expense.
#1

Inverter failure is the leading cause of downtime in photovoltaic (PV) systems, affecting up to 80% of systems. Inverter failure can also damage other components, such as strings

#2

Hot spots are squared-shaped areas of high temperature that can occur within a single solar cell.

#3

A bypass diode that has been activated can be seen across one-third of a solar module.

#4

Moisture can penetrate cracked solar modules,
leading to irreversible damage.

#5

Vegetation or buildings can obstruct sunlight from
reaching solar panels, which can reduce their efficiency.

#6

Reverse polarity occurs when the positive and negative terminals of a photovoltaic (PV) system are
connected incorrectly, causing electricity to flow in the wrong direction. This can damage PV modules and inverters.

#7

String outages on solar panels can affect neighboring panels in a linear fashion.