If you are a decision-maker for a solar farm, you know that warranty inspections are a necessary part of the job. Ensuring that all aspects of the solar plant are meeting contractual specifications and living up to industry standards is important.
If you intend to make a warranty claim on a part of the solar farm, you’re going to need a very granular level of detail and comprehensive data to back up your claim. That means that solar warranty inspections need to be extremely thorough and effective at producing data-driven results.
Traditional methods of solar warranty inspections can produce detailed reports, but they are expensive and time-consuming for businesses to conduct. They also don’t always generate accurate results, but there is another option for businesses that will produce more accurate data and help create a more comprehensive and effective solar farm warranty claim.
This method is a thermal drone inspection.
Infrared and thermal drones have played a huge role in streamlining the solar warranty claim process. Here’s a breakdown of this new way to submit a solar farm warranty claim.
Table of Contents
Traditional Methods
Only until recently, solar farms haven’t had infrared drones as an option for conducting these processes. They’ve had to manage by using other methods that require a significant amount of manual labor and time investment.
The two primary methods that solar farms used were manually checking each panel and manned aircraft inspections.
Manually Checking Each Panel
This is a method that can become a massive undertaking. Solar farms are typically quite large and spread out, so investigating each panel one by one is an extremely labor-intensive process.
Whether this is being done by technicians of the solar farm, or a third party maintenance company, it is time-consuming, expensive, and chances are, not particularly accurate. Human error is a big factor here, as fatigue and repetitiveness can become a problem.
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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.
Manned Aircraft
A manned aircraft like a plane or a helicopter flying over your solar farm for a warranty inspection is another method used for warranty claims. This is an expensive method, as it requires a large manned aircraft and a pilot, both of which don’t come at a cheap cost.
Their flyover can provide visual data, but it is not a viable option for smaller-sized solar farms. Rooftop PV systems or ground-mounted farms within heavily populated areas would also make a manned aircraft inspection more difficult and unsafe.
The Switch to Infrared Drones
Traditional methods worked fine when there weren’t other, better options. But the growth of the drone industry in recent years has shown those working in the solar industry that there is a significantly better alternative.
A thermal drone solar inspection will provide better quality data, more efficiently, and at a cheaper cost. They provide warranty inspections that are more productive, cost-effective, and secure. They are much easier to plan and conduct, requiring minimal time investment from solar technicians.
Infrared drones increase efficiency and deliver more valuable data. Here’s a breakdown of how.
Efficiency
A thermal drone inspection is a surefire way to increase efficiency in the warranty claim process. For large MW PV systems, an I-V curve tracing inspection could take multiple days or weeks respectively. With a thermal drone inspection, the same inspection will require significantly less time to be fully looked over.
This will save you a significant amount of manhours and money. The longer an inspection goes on, the more billable hours there tend to be, so reducing the amount of time spent will greatly reduce costs.
A thermal drone inspection also doesn’t require a large amount of personnel. Because drones are unmanned aircraft, all you need to conduct a thermal drone warranty inspection is an experienced drone pilot. This will free the rest of your team to go about their business as usual, maximizing efficiency.
Valuable Data
A warranty claim requires concrete proof and data to back it up. If you are conducting a thermal inspection, it needs to be conducted in accordance with IEC TS 62446-3 thermography standards set by the International Electrotechnical Commission.
If you’re getting a thermal drone warranty inspection, make sure you’re getting it from a company like The Drone Life, whose Comprehensive Level of infrared drone inspection is in compliance with these standards.
The data from drones is also easy to use in solar warranty claims because it is clear photographic or video evidence of deficiencies. Warranty claims can be an arduous process that requires high levels of proof to be successful. Thermal drone data provides you with the necessary evidence to make a warranty claim work.
Start Capitalizing on Solar Warranty Claims
If you are trying to streamline your solar warranty claim process through the use of drone technology, partnering with an experienced drone company offering top-of-the-line drone services is your best path forward. At The Drone Life, we provide these services and more to help businesses operating within the solar industry.
The Drone Life is a team of experienced and licensed drone operators that excel at helping businesses streamline their processes by implementing drone technology. With warranty claims, our thermal drone solar inspection services will increase efficiency by cutting time, personnel involvement, costs, and provide valuable data.
This will make your warranty inspection more productive and easy than ever before.
To get in touch with a drone expert to learn what we can do for your business, schedule a free consultation with a member of our team.
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.
