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Aerial Drone Inspection of Solar Panels Solar Panel Thermal Inspection Our client asked us to complete a solar PC Inspection of a commercial roof top installation in Sharpness. Along with the usual drone planning requirements and risk assessments to conduct a safe and legal flight, the location was close to Berkeley Nuclear Power Station which required additional flight permissions. The inspection took place during a very busy August when we were [...]

Can Thermal Infrared cameras detect heat loss? Every year, as the weather turns colder and the heating systems are switched on across the UK, we all become conscious of the cost of keeping warm and cosy over the season. Putting on extra layers and tucking up under a blanket is one solution but it is also worth considering checking that your home’s insulation is in tip-top condition and you are not [...]

The Use of Thermography in Fire Detection and Fire Management DJI XT2 Radiometric 640 30hz Thermal imaging from the air has never been easier than with a drone and the DJI Zenmuse XT radiometric. By combining DJI's unmatched expertise in gimbal technology and image transmission with FLIR's market-leading thermal imaging technology, the Zenmuse XT radiometric is the ultimate solution for rapid and reliable aerial thermal imaging. Capturing thermal data quickly and [...]

Effecient Solar Farm Maintenance Practices Thermal Imaging at Solar Farms Drone Media Imaging offer solar panel inspections using state of the art thermal cameras and qualified thermographer Level 2 pilots. This means that we are almost uniquely placed amongst drone operators to guarantee data collection under the correct conditions and meaningful reports that identify any faults or anomalies. Add to this the enhanced flight operating permissions we have been granted by the CAA, puts [...]

A Simple Solution to Increase Solar Panel Performance To ensure that your solar panels are operating at their optimal level, regular cleaning is required. To ensure that your solar panels are operating at their optimal level, regular cleaning is required. When solar panels are located on high pitched rooftops such as with domestic housing, cleaning them yourself can be dangerous and so we would always recommend using a professional solar panel cleaning company. However, [...]

How To Detect A Faulty Solar Panel.? When faults develop with a solar panel the result is that these cells will heat up. This is because the energy generated by the electrons moving around is not flowing through the panel and onto the convertor, and must manifest somehow, it doesn’t can’t just disappear, so the energy becomes heat.

Aerial Thermography using Drones A drone carrying a thermal camera is the ideal tool to assess solar panel condition given that they are often placed in areas such as rooftops which means they are difficult to access. This non-destructive method of inspection minimises any health and safety risk alongside the chance of damaging roof or panels during the inspection process itself.  It is also a great deal quicker than using scaffolding [...]

Not All Solar Panel Issues are Electrical Cell or String Faults Extensive Panel Shadowing Shattered / Broken Glass Covering Dirt on the Panels One very common cause of panels not functioning effectively is simply that they have become dirty over time, particularly in urban city locations, this can diminish performance by up to 10%. Regular panel cleaning can solve this problem. Check out our article on how to safely [...]

Does Your Solar Installation Have a String Fault? How Does Thermography Detect a String Fault? If a fault develops in solar panels connected in series, then the entire string is likely to fail or be shut down. This results in a heat differential to the surrounding panels/arrays and will show up clearly in a thermogram image. This is because when light is falling on the panel cells, [...]

How Do Solar Panels Operate? How Does the Sun Affect a Photovoltaic Solar Panel? The sun continually discharges little parcels of energy called photons, which arrive with us here on earth approximately 8.5 minutes after they have left their source.   Those little photons however can take 100,000 years to get from the sun’s core to the surface where they can start their journey to us – so we’re bathing in some [...]