Aerial thermography is the fastest and most convenient way to inspect all the modules installed on a PV plant, searching for temperature differences on the modules’ surface which indicate failures and energy losses.
Nowadays aerial thermographic inspections are performed by third party companies, who collect images via drone controlled by qualified pilots. Through image processing and analysis algorithms the data is subsequently processed. Other than the data analysis phase, this process also implies the flight planning phase, which must be conducted in compliance with European flight regulation, ENAC regulations and with the HSE regulations specifically for each site. Furthermore, the data processing can take up to two weeks before the results can be made available on dedicated web platforms.
The survey should take place right after maintenance interventions have been performed on PV sites, avoiding false anomaly detection due to bird drops or shading due to unmaintained vegetation and turf conditions.
Therefore, conducting aerial inspection is a process that requires supplier management and organisation. However, coordinating different third party suppliers, checking the weather to have the proper survey conditions all in compliance with regulations, can sometimes be tough and inspections are not always performed when they actually should be.
Moreover, a thermographic inspection provides you with a piece of information which is fixed in time; it is a picture of the PV plants that represents the exact moment when it was taken. How extremely useful would it be to be able to update information to take into account maintenance intervention and module replacement?
Here at Wesii we are aware of these difficulties thanks to the close relationships we have with our clients, and we are constantly developing new solutions to help them cope with their needs.
EliosField is the perfect solution to gain control of aerial survey, thanks to a revolutionary system, EliosField Dronino, which allows the technicians to perform aerial inspections autonomously. Furthermore, thanks to our newly developed app it is possible to update the survey results directly on Elios Portal, with pictures and pieces of information collected in the field.
Have you ever planned an aerial inspection of your PV site? Have you ever done it for your entire portfolio? Then you probably will agree with us, it’s challenging.
Here at Wesii we are working to simplify the whole process.
We have developed EliosField Dronino as a way to collect more data for your PV plant than has ever been possible. Why? In order to conduct predictive analysis, you must collect a lot of data and frequently.
In addition to our yearly/ biyearly thorough aerial thermography inspections where we are able to firstly digitize the plant and then classify all the anomalies so you are able to view, trace and manage them, you can now use EliosField Dronino to fly your plant as many times as you’d like in between inspections. In doing so you can keep an eye on the current anomalies, and at the same time collect the necessary data to aid in predictive analysis.
Drop us an email at sales@wesii.com, we will be more than happy to provide you with more in-depth details about our solutions.