Introduction

It is an automatic system for the detection of damages or malfunctions of photovoltaic systems. Thanks to the use of drones and image recognition algorithms, it speeds up, simplifies and optimizes the monitoring and maintenance of the panels.

Technical features

RGB and thermal  georeferenced images of the modules of a photovoltaic (PV) plant are captured by a drone (UAS), are processed by an image processing algorithm to obtain information about the status of the plant. The software recognises the modules and identifies defects. The first output is a digital map of the plant which is useful to O&M operators to perform maintenance. The second output is technical report which include defect information both at the aggregated level (plant) and at the module level. Another algorithm that models the behaviour of the modules exploits data coming from the image processing and other sources (e.g. datasheet, energy prices) to generate an economical report about the future performance on the plant.

Possible Applications

• Plant inspections.

Advantages

• Automated inspection;
• More reliable results;
• Faster process.