Solar energy is growing in popularity all over the U.S., from residential solar panel installations to utility-scale solar farms. Today, over 100 gigawatts (GW) of solar capacity are installed nationwide, enough to power 18.6 million homes! We’re living in the #SolarDecade, with aspirations to see solar energy comprise 20% of all U.S. electricity generation by 2030.
Keeping the upward momentum in solar energy is dependant on more solar installs and maintaining the thousands of solar installs already completed to date. There’s a lot of work involved for even a small solar farm to track the status and condition of a few hundred panels.
Consider the challenge faced by the U.S.’s largest solar farm, Solar Star PV in California, to manage its 1.7 million panels. In the past, inspections had to be done manually, one row at a time. Thankfully, there is a new technology revolutionizing solar panel inspections: infrared drones.
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Benefits of Using Infrared Drones for Solar Inspections
Infrared drone solar inspections are easier and more efficient than previous methods completed with handheld thermal devices. Drones inspect large PV systems faster and provide key information through high-resolution thermal technology that detects variances in heat. There are many reasons to use drones for solar inspections, starting with the 6 revolutionary benefits of using infrared drones for solar inspections we’re about to share with you in this article.
Now, let’s get into the benefits of using drones to inspect PV systems:
1. Drones Catalog Historical Data
Forward-thinking solar companies can get a jump on PV system maintenance by conducting their first drone inspection at installation and when it’s being turned on for the first time. This allows the company to fix any problems that do immediately arise, and it also creates a baseline of data to refer back to during future inspections.
This initial data collection makes it possible to catalog historical data of the PV system’s functionality at different times in its operating history.
2. Drones Reduce Inspection Time
This is by far the biggest reason why companies are switching to drones for their solar inspections—reduced inspection time. Drones can complete thermal inspections at a pace of 10 minutes per MW, compared to manual methods like I-V curve tracing that take 2-5 hours per MW.
Related Topic: Drone Thermography vs I-V Curve Tracing: The Ultimate Comparison
Today’s drones can perform solar inspections at speeds up to 15 mph, much faster than inspectors traveling on foot. A trained drone pilot knows how to photograph the PV system from an aerial perspective at the right shooting angle, time intervals, and speed.
Professionally captured drone images ensure smooth post-processing and accurate analysis to complete the inspection using specialized software. Auto-generated reports with visuals can be shared quickly with team members to get issues resolved fast.
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3. Drones Can Inspect Every Panel
Because of the large size of solar farms and commercial rooftop PV systems, it can be intimidating to inspect every module in a fast and cost-effective way. The former solution was to inspect only a sampling of the PV system—an industry practice where only 10-25% of the site is inspected to cut down on the time and cost of manual IV curve inspections. This meant some areas of the solar site were overlooked and individual panel inspections were not conducted unless an anomaly was detected at the combiner or string level first.
Thankfully, drones provide an alternative that enables solar companies to obtain complete data about their entire PV system, down to the cellular level. Through the aerial collection of thermal data, drones can inspect PV systems in their entirety.
Drones can detect anomalies within individual cells with geo-referenced data that allows the operations team to locate the exact panel. And, there’s no need to exclude portions of the site from the inspection to save time, a drone can cover the entire solar site in a matter of hours.
What's included in YOUR GUIDE...
Techniques for Exposing Warrantiable Items on Your PV Sites.
A Proven Roadmap for Successfully Implementing Drones in Solar.
Strategies for Identifying DC Losses and Avoiding Downtime.
4. Drones Reduce Costs of Solar Inspections
The costs associated with getting a PV system inspected are why many solar companies put it off. Manual inspections are time-consuming and all the man-hours add up on the final bill. Plus, manual inspections require a temporary shut-down of the PV system that causes more lost revenue.
Putting off an inspection for too long may result in significantly decreased energy production due to undetected faulty equipment. However, drone solar inspections are reported to be 40% cheaper than manual solar inspections. And as a bonus, a drone can inspect the site while it is still connected to the grid, so there’s no need to stop generating power.
So exactly how much do drone solar inspections cost? We have a completely free and value-packed PDF to answer that exact question.
5. Warranty Claims
If a piece of solar equipment isn’t functioning up to standard, you may need to make a warranty claim. Drones can provide you with the granular level of detail necessary to validate your claim with the warranty company. The inspection must be up to IEC TS 62446-3 thermography standards set by the International Electrotechnical Commission. Discuss with a qualified drone professional whether or not they can perform the inspection within these standards.
Compared with manual inspections methods, drone inspections are much easier to plan and conduct, requiring minimal time investment from solar technicians. The result is better quality data at a cheaper cost. With the detailed visual information infrared drone solar inspections provide, your warranty claim is more likely to be accepted and returned upon.
Learn More: How Infrared Drones Streamlined Solar Warranty Claims
6. Wide Range of Detectable Faults
A drone that collects visual and thermal data can supply invaluable information to solar companies about the status and operability of their equipment. Aerial images provide a broad perspective while thermal images drill down into the details.
Combining thermal and visual data helps O&M teams determine if the heat anomalies are caused by faults found physically on the panel, such as delamination, cracks, dust, or internal issues such as the inability to connect to a panel due to an inverter or cable failure.
Some of the primary issues that an infrared drone can detect are:
- Faulty Modules
- String Outages
- Module Delimitation
- Cracks
- Shadowing
- Soiling
- Inverter Anomalies
- Vegetation
- Combiner Anomalies
Additionally, not knowing the exact location of a reported issue can be frustrating. It can feel like trying to find a needle in a haystack, especially if you aren’t 100% sure of what you’re looking for. Drone software takes care of this problem. These AI driven programs process the images, tag and geo-reference the issues, and are manually reviewed by an employee for efficient remediation. Each defect from cell to string level is described with thermal and visual images for reference. Reports can even include an interactive map of the entire solar plant with the ability to easily share with other team members.
The Right Team to Change your Inspection Process
At The Drone Life, we’re a team of experts who can help you completely revamp your solar farm inspection process. We’ve worked with a variety of PV systems from ground mounted farms, carports, and rooftop systems.
Our licensed, experienced team of drone pilots will provide you with all the information you need for your solar panel inspections. No more arduous and risky inspections. With a drone solar inspection, you’re getting more accurate, time-effective, and low-cost information, so you can make sure your panels remain operating at their highest potential.
For more information about drone solar inspections, schedule a consultation with a drone expert.
What's included in YOUR GUIDE...
Techniques for Exposing Warrantiable Items on Your PV Sites.
A Proven Roadmap for Successfully Implementing Drones in Solar.
Strategies for Identifying DC Losses and Avoiding Downtime.
