Case study

Solar PV Thermal Documentation

RGB and thermal documentation of a rooftop photovoltaic array. Apparent temperature patterns were recorded with location context so a facilities team could review and prioritize follow-up.

Objective: Document temperature patterns across a rooftop PV system for later maintenance review.
What was captured: Paired thermal and RGB stills covering the array, with location context for observed temperature anomalies.
Capture method: Aerial thermal and visual capture planned for module-level coverage of the rooftop array.
RGB / thermal relationship: Thermal frames were reviewed against visual imagery so apparent heat signatures could be located on physical modules.
Findings documented: More than 160 thermal anomalies were recorded, including hotspot, multi-diode, and string-level temperature patterns.
Deliverables: Thermal imagery, RGB context, annotated snapshots, and location context for follow-up. PV reporting was organized with IEC 62446-3 in view.

Context

RGB and thermal together

Thermal color is a visualization of apparent temperature. Location still depends on the paired visual record.

RGB

Thermal

Documented patterns

What the record showed

The patterns below were documented as apparent temperature differences. They are not independent determinations of electrical failure or liability.

Hotspots and multi-hotspots

Localized high-temperature cells and repeated hotspot patterns were recorded across the array so technicians could inspect specific modules rather than walking the field without location context.

Documented PV hotspot thermal pattern 1 — Hotspot

Documented PV hotspot thermal pattern 2 — Multi-hotspot

Documented PV hotspot thermal pattern 3 — Multi-hotspot

Multi-diode temperature patterns

Repeated hot blocks within modules were documented as high-priority patterns for later electrical testing. The record locates the modules; it does not itself assign a root cause.

Documented multi-diode thermal pattern 1 — Multi-diode pattern

Documented multi-diode thermal pattern 2 — Single-diode pattern

String-level patterns

Uneven heating along the same electrical string was documented so downstream review could consider inverter, combiner, or wiring issues as appropriate.

Documented string-level thermal pattern 1 — String pattern

Documented string-level thermal pattern 2 — Uneven heating on one string

Documented string-level thermal pattern 3 — Additional example

Review context

Temperature spread

Comparing warmer and cooler modules under similar conditions helps later reviewers distinguish outliers from ordinary variation.

Annotated thermal frame showing repeated module-level temperature patterns — Annotated thermal frames locating repeated module-level patterns.

Temperature spread comparison across nearby PV modules — Temperature spread (ΔT) used as supporting context for prioritization.

Annotated thermal map of documented PV temperature anomalies — Annotated overview of documented thermal anomalies.