Solar energy is a booming form of renewable energy that looks poised to continue its growth into the mainstream. From 2010 to 2020, U.S solar installations have experienced an average annual growth rate of 42%. This makes it a hugely important part of America’s energy industry.
If you’re working within a solar business, or a business that relies on solar energy, you know how vital maintaining the solar panels are. The solar panels are what powers the industry, and makes the money.
Most businesses do solar inspections to ensure that their panels are in working order, but these inspections require manpower, a large time commitment, and sometimes, they still don’t produce accurate results.
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One technology that is changing the way solar inspections are done is infrared drones. These unmanned aircraft provide accurate information and high-quality footage in a way that helps solar companies and O&M teams reduce costs.
Drones are growing in use in many industries, including solar. The practical uses of these devices are near limitless, and they’re reshaping how modern businesses operate. Drones in the solar industry are a rising trend that provide many benefits. Here’s a breakdown of 3 unique ways drone solar inspections can save money.
Historical Data
If you’re operating a large-scale solar farm, having a vivid understanding of what is happening with your solar panels is extremely important. It isn’t enough to just be aware of a single issue, having an understanding of broader trends and the history of breakdowns is integral to having a fully operational business.
With a drone PV system inspection, you’re gaining a historical record that will allow you to better keep track of changes with your solar panels. Keeping a record of previous inspections is a great way to figure out the causes behind panel faults.
Historical data helps you learn not just what has happened with your solar panels, but why it is happening.
Historical data from drone photography and videography provides you comprehensive imagery of the entirety of your PV system.
Another reason this is useful is in certain cases, issues with solar cells don’t require replacement, but keeping track of these issues is important because they may lead to breakdowns in the future.
A drone solar farm inspection provides information that accumulates over time, giving a historical record that will help them protect businesses in the future. Understanding the history of solar panel breakdowns is important, and the typical method of PV system inspections can’t provide anywhere close to the amount of historical data a drone inspection offers.
No Plant Downtime Required
In a typical solar inspection, plant downtime is required. When doing maintenance and inspecting the solar panels, the plant can’t produce at maximum effectiveness or else it creates a dangerous inspection. The typical inspection also requires manpower and significant time investment, because checking every panel and every cell is an arduous business.
Taking the human element out of this situation makes for a more cost-effective and time-efficient inspection. There’s no need to turn off any of the solar panels when there is a thermal drone solar inspection, which means you’re not wasting any money by not producing energy.
As well, by not requiring you or any of your employees to stop work to partake in the inspection, drone inspections allow your business to maximize its time. Drones provide more accurate information in less time, saving you money, and the need for plant downtime is reduced. It is a high-upside, no-risk solution to making sure everything operates effectively in your solar business.
Geo-referenced Faults
Having geo-referenced data is important because, without it, you can’t know precisely where the issues facing your PV system are located. The data from an infrared drone inspection won’t just help you identify what the issue is, and what might potentially be causing it, it will also give you precise details as to where the issue is located.
The deliverable provided from a drone inspection will include geo-referenced data in the form of an interactive map of the solar farm. This will show you exactly where the faults are located, which makes it as easy as it could be on your repair 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.
Before drone inspections, there was a heavy burden placed on technicians who were conducting the inspections on their own. They would’ve had to figure out the issue and where the issue is located, all while taking notes on the process.
This often leads to human error, and inaccurate data, which can harm the business in the long run. Drones remove that human error and give you the precise data needed to ensure your business is operating at its full potential.
How to Get Started with Drone Solar Inspections
Working within this industry, you should always be looking for ways to optimize your practices. Trimming costs and innovating is how businesses can grow and refine, and in a future-facing business like renewable energy, adapting to new technology is vital.
Drones are a technology that can play an important role in helping solar farms, and a drone PV system inspection is an easy way to cut costs.
Receiving historical data, geo-referenced deliverables that pinpoint faults, and no need for plant downtime are all things that will help your business save money. It will also provide you with more detailed and accurate information that will give you all the necessary facts to protect your solar panels from falling into disrepair.
At The Drone Life, we are a team of licensed drone experts who have years of experience helping businesses implement drones into their process, refining their practices to be better equipped for the future.
We have vast knowledge about drones within the solar industry, and have helped numerous solar farm owners modernize their inspection process.
If you’re interested in changing how your business handles its inspections, infrared drone services are a great tool to cut costs and receive better information. Visit our website to learn more about what drones can do for you, or reach out to us for a consultation from one of our several experts.
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.
