Solar Panels and Drone Thermal Imaging
Solar energy is becoming more and more popular with both domestic and commercial customers alike.
An increasing focus on the perils of climate change has led to a surge in interest regarding renewable energy sources and you don’t have to travel far before you find roof mounted solar panels. With such interest showing no signs of slowing, solar panels are bound to become more and more part of our everyday lives.
How do they Work?
When photons or light particle hits the surface of a Photo Voltaic (PV) cell, they knock electrons loose from their atoms. Where conductors are attached to the positive and negative sides of a cell, this forms an electrical current through which the electrons can flow and generate electricity. These PV cells are linked together to form a solar panel and, in some cases, panels are linked together to form an array. Each of these cells work together in the light of the sun to generate electricity which is fed to an inverter. The inverter converts the DC current into AC which can be fed into the electrical grid. Inverters also provide tracking statistics and ground fault protection.
How does Thermal Imaging Work?
A thermal imaging camera works just in the same way any other camera in that it creates an image via a lens. However, instead of using visible light as a standard camera would, a thermal imaging camera uses infrared waves and focuses these onto a specialised sensor to create a ‘thermal profile’ of the reflected heat of a surface in comparison with the areas around it. It can’t see through walls (or clothing despite what some movies suggest!) but instead, it provides an excellent method under the right conditions on assessing heat loss from a building or monitoring solar panel efficiency.
How can Drones Assess Solar Panel Effectiveness?
A drone mounted thermal imaging camera can offer the perfect solution for assessing the effectiveness of solar panels whether they are in large arrays such as a solar farm or roof mounted domestic installations. Having a camera in the sky allows a drone pilot to cover large areas quickly and effectively and survey roof panels without the need for ladders, scaffolding or cherry pickers.
Flown under the right conditions in the hands of a thermography qualified pilot, a drone thermal image can pinpoint defective modules, highlight future problems and even show panels that are defective to the point of being dangerous.
Regular inspection flights can be scheduled with minimal disruption and only a short amount of air time is necessary particularly in the case of domestic installations so peace of mind as to your solar panel’s safety and efficiency can be obtained relatively quickly and cheaply.
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Thermal Fire Monitoring Following a Grain Store Terminal Explosion
Grain Store Explosion and Year-Long Fire – July 5, 2020 – Tilbury Port, London On July 5, 2020, a series of events (possibly by a spark) triggered a large dust explosion and a subsequent fire at the Grain Store Terminal at the Port of Tilbury in London. This was a serious event that required the attention of a large-scale emergency response to get the subsequent grain fire under control and avoid additional explosions. No one was seriously hurt, which is nothing short of a miracle given the number of people on the scene and the amount of reinforced concrete and debris thrown high into the sky before raining down on the surrounding buildings.
Traditional firefighting methods and techniques are ineffective in the case of grain storage fires. Using water to extinguish the inferno is ineffective with grain and dust fires, and the added weight might have caused a catastrophic structural collapse, exacerbating an already challenging situation. As a result, London fire teams were on the scene for days while a proper fire strategy and plan was developed and implemented, with staff always remaining on-site to monitor the situation over the following weeks.
Throughout this early period, there was always the possibility of more explosions and the fire spreading since the grain stored in the linked silos generates dust that may ignite if the temperature is high enough. Drone Media Imaging was contracted to fly thermal imaging flights to collect temperature data to estimate fire spread and track fire management efforts over time. For instance, were the temperatures rising, falling, or remaining constant?
We began operations on July 7, 2020, flying three flights each day, seven days a week initially, to compare temperatures and report back to crisis management teams and emergency service gold commanders. We eventually completed our thermal imaging missions one year and a month after the initial Grain Store explosion in late August 2021! While not all of the silos were full with grain, many were, and several were burning at temperatures far beyond 800°C. Before the fire could be quenched, the building had to be entirely demolished. Temperatures more than 80°C were still being recorded in the grain that remained on the ground after demolition 13 months later.
Gaining safe access to the terminal to fly was not without difficulty, as emergency services had imposed a 50m exclusion zone surrounding the terminal due to the possibility of additional explosions. As a result, our risk assessments and method statements had to be developed specifically for this circumstance and rigorously tested to assure both safe drone flights and the most accurate thermal data gathering at this vital juncture.
We continued to provide the Port of Tilbury London and the accompanying emergency services with daily and weekly calibrated temperature measurements that documented the progress of the grain store fire over 13 months. As thermal infrared aerial specialists, we provided data in the form of detailed reports, thermal imaging, RGB photographic and video footage.
