Drones for Solar Panel Inspection for Effective Maintenance

Solar power is among the most sustainable and green energy sources with a meager environmental impact. Solar panel Inspection technology is used to harness energy from the sun, which helps streamline the availability of the power supply.

Solar photovoltaic technology has become the most competitive form of power generation, especially in the Persian Gulf region. The Middle East and North American regions are also increasingly relying on this energy source.

These regions contain abundant sunny climates, affordable land, supportive tax policies, etc. All these conditions are ideal for solar farms’ development and smooth operation.

One drawback of establishing solar farms in these regions is that they are vulnerable to sand storms which can affect the safety and performance of the solar panels. 

In these circumstances, you must regularly inspect and do maintenance of these solar panels. Conducting manual inspections in these regions can be very challenging due to harsh weather conditions and the sheer magnitude of solar panel units operating on the farm.

You can use drones for efficient solar panel inspections and maintenance to combat this. 

Solar Systems Need Regular Inspections

Solar energy is abundant, especially in desert areas with less population and more open land. According to a study, the solar energy market in the United Arab Emirates is projected to achieve a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of over 15% during 2022-2027.

However, the installation of solar systems comes with its risks.

Since solar parks are often located in remote areas, it becomes tough to keep them running smoothly. The maintenance of these systems is a very crucial step before maintenance is accurate inspection.

Inspecting solar systems using drones equipped with thermography technology has made the inspection process quicker and more reliable. 

Drone thermography, a contactless and purely optical process, measures irregular temperature changes or thermal abnormalities in solar modules.

This technology helps you identify yield losses and possible defects in the system using infrared recordings. It eliminates the need to invest in “Climbers”, trucks with raised work platforms used for inspection.

Regular inspection of solar panels with drones offers a lot of advantages. They give you complete inspection documentation, which lists all the damaged units.

It allows the operators to prove they have followed all the operating regulations. The accurate testing leads to quicker repair of the solar modules, resulting in an optimized yield.

Benefits of Inspection of Solar Panels with Drones

Drones allow for accurate visual inspection of the system, which uncovers defects in the insulation, functioning, and cable harnesses.

In this next section, we will discuss some of the main reasons you need to use drones to inspect your solar modules. Here you will learn how this technology has revolutionized the inspection and maintenance of solar modules, so stay with us till the end.

Here are the benefits of using drones for solar panels inspection:

1. Quick Inspection

Using drones for inspection in extensive solar facilities and extended solar panel fields can save you much time. Traditional ground maintenance requires many expensive tools and individuals to operate these.

It increases your inspection costs and the time needed for the process and documentation. 

Using drones, you can easily perform inspections of large solar parks without wasting your time and resources. The results you get from drone inspections are also more reliable, so most solar system operators prefer these.

2. Efficient Reporting and Documentation

Drone thermography gives you a detailed analysis of solar systems in a well-documented form. This examination helps you identify yield losses and other potential warranty claims.

The comprehensive reports created by these drones enable you to discover all the abnormalities during the commissioning or maintenance phase.

3. Early Detection of Fire Damage

Drones can help you identify the incorrectly mounted components of the panel. They can also highlight poorly cooled electrical systems that can cause fire hazards.

Even if the inverters are placed several meters apart, they can still be examined quickly. These drones identify malfunctions by noticing the temperature difference displayed via a thermal imaging camera.

This early detection of temperature irregularities helps prevent fire damage before it worsens and destroys the entire establishment.

4. Improved Inspections

The drones can reach places inaccessible to humans to collect optimal radiometric data. This technology’s flight route planning feature, combined with thermal copters, can record data with a precision of about 50mK.

It reduces the need for high technical or human effort. Moreover, the systems remain fully operational during the inspection, which increases yield.

5. High-Quality Maintenance

To identify thermographic abnormalities early, carefully examine the solar modules. It can be a challenge if the solar farm is located remotely.

You can easily overcome this difficulty with a drone and do the maintenance work on time. This technology allows for a preventive determination of faults and makes planning future system refurbishments very easy.

6. Save Money for The Operators

Solar systems can suffer from performance loss due to poor maintenance and careless inspection. It can lead to earnings loss, a great nuisance for system operators.

Drone technology offers speed and flexibility, so you can easily identify parts not working correctly in your solar modules. It saves you repair costs that come with using unreliable inspection methods.

For operators, this technology offers long-term cost savings, risk classification with insurance companies, and help with potential warranty claims.

Final Words    

The drone technology for inspection has proved to be simple, inexpensive, effective, and reliable. These drones can navigate inaccessible spaces and give accurate results even in the most challenging climate conditions.

Drones equipped with thermographic cameras have a promising future when inspecting solar parks. This technology helps you keep your solar systems up and running, saving you from downtime and overhaul issues.

GIS Drones offers expert solar panel inspection services to ensure that you stay on top of the performance of your solar panel system. Contact us to learn more about our solar panel inspection services. 

FAQs