Solar Farm Inspection

DronesKaki Admin|September 13, 2024

Solar Farms

Solar power plants are already relatively efficient since they are scattered and modular, making them less prone to large-scale failure. The distributed systems are spread out over a large area; damage in one spot, such as a severe weather occurrence, will not cut off electricity to the entire region. Many individual solar arrays create modular systems. As a result, even if some of the panels in the system aren’t working, the rest of the system should still work. However, diagnosing and repairing damaged panels and equipment is critical in order to limit power production losses; unclean solar panels can lose up to 50% of their energy output.

Solar panel inspection drones provide for quick and cost-effective monitoring and inspection of solar farms, resulting in reduced downtime and increased performance profits. Because of the range of remote inspection and surveillance capabilities available, using drones to inspect solar farm panels has become a common practice in many countries.

Solar farm maintenance operations

Companies in the energy industry are integrating cutting-edge technology with drones to improve the efficiency of their energy plant operations, with drones playing a vital role in their energy plant operations, with drones playing a vital role in their service to offer customers with reliable and inexpensive electricity.

Traditionally, a team of workers would go around the solar facility, inspecting it with only handheld devices. This practice is expensive, time-consuming, and frequently results in only 2-3% of the overall plant being evaluated. Full surveys can now be completed at a fraction of the cost and in a fraction of the time utilising drones like the Matrice 300 RTK equipped with a Zenmuse H20T hybrid visual-thermal camera payload.

The drone with a H20T payload takes thermal and visual photos of the solar panels as it soars across the solar facility. Following the flight, software such as DJI Terra is able to scan the photographs and generate a report that helps operators to detect defective units that require cleaning or repair. Excessive heat levels detected by the thermal camera suggest that a panel is broken or malfunctioning, as the panel is unable to absorb heat as it should.

Drones for solar farm inspection

Drones like the DJI Matrice 300 RTK, equipped with H20T hybrid thermal payloads, can survey large areas within a solar farm, collecting high-resolution RGB and thermal images during a single flight.

Matrice 300 RTK

This drone comes with everything you'll need to keep an eye on your task. You can spot dangers and obtain a quick grasp of the region from a safe distance, and the 55-minute flight time ensures you can collect the information you need with fewer trips, no matter how far away the mission is.

Zenmuse H20T

Thermal imaging can give your search and rescue efforts a new dimension, allowing you to conduct efficient missions at night, in dark locations like tunnels, and in avalanche circumstances where a person may be hidden. The Zenmuse H20T is the ideal payload for flights like these. This multi-sensor camera can take care of everything. The series has a 20 MP Zoom Camera and Active Image Stabilisation technology in addition to a radiometric thermal camera.