PV Farm Hot-Spot Triage (Thermal + RGB)

Thermal inspections by drone are the fastest, least disruptive way to pinpoint PV performance issues. From above the array we capture module-level temperature patterns in minutes—not days on foot—and do it safely without walking tables. Pairing thermal with RGB frames cuts false positives and gives technicians exact row/string locations and visual context. The outcome is a ranked punch-list that turns guesswork into targeted maintenance: less downtime, fewer truck rolls, and proof of repairs on the follow-up scan.

The value is speed, clarity, and accuracy: instead of walking miles of modules in the heat, the team gets a defect list with photos, locations, and priorities. Maintenance can roll straight to the right tables with the right parts.

• Module hotspots (cell or sub-string) indicating cracked cells or bad solder.
• Bypass diode signatures—distinct thermal patterns at junction boxes.
• String outages / mismatch—rows with cooler-than-expected response.
• Soiling / shading bands creating uneven heating across modules.
• Balance-of-system heat at combiner/inverter pads suggesting load issues.

1. Fly a consistent-altitude grid with thermal + RGB to lock alignment.
2. Detect anomalies during processing and validate with RGB frames.
3. Create a Map of entire site and annotate each anomolie.
4. Hand off to maintenance with photos, severity, and recommended checks.

• Morning flights reduce thermal shimmer and give consistent module response.
• Uniform altitude and overlap maintain comparable pixel size across sweeps.
• Thermal + RGB pairing avoids false positives and clarifies root causes.
• Ops brief before launch; VO on haul paths; conservative stand-off from tracker rows.

• Isolated multi hotspots and cracked-cell patterns in a single session.
• Delivered annotated snapshots + coordinates and a CSV punch-list by string/row.
• Enabled targeted maintenance instead of full-field walk-downs.
• Created a baseline for future scans to verify repairs and trend issues.

• Re-scan after repairs to confirm hotspots cleared.
• Schedule maintenance scans (quarterly/yearly) to catch faults before it costs you.
• Track repeat offenders—flag modules/strings that recur across scans.
• Share the defect list link with techs and bring the right spares to the row.