Drones are the perfect tool to make solar panel inspections faster, safer, and more cost-efficient. But what kind of setup do you need to get the job done?
The need for renewables is growing rapidly. And with it, the investments in new solar panel installations rise year after year. But every new solar panel requires regular inspections. And those can be costly. Or maybe not?
Well, that depends on the tools. Manual inspection is indeed a very pricy and long-lasting matter. When done manually, this requires a person equipped with a thermal camera to inspect every panel by hand. A huge job, given how large modern solar parks can be.
Expenses halved thanks to drones
Thanks to the use of UAVs, that cost can be dropped considerably. In fact, solar companies report that the use of drones has, in some cases, halved their maintenance expenses.
And that is not all. The use of drones is not just more cost-effective but also considerably faster. Up to 50x, to be precise. That frees up resources much better invested in other business areas.
Solar panel inspection becomes less hazardous
As it turns out, using drones is also a matter of safety. After all, if inspected manually, employees run a much higher risk of having work accidents. Every job done by a UAV means one less hazardous climb for a solar panel inspector.
Last but not least, the data a drone collects and provides is, without a doubt, more precise and provides much more extensive information. Thanks to automated reporting, potential issues can also be spotted much easier and quicker.
The equipment you need
In summary, using drones for solar panel inspection is a real no-brainer. But let’s make things more concrete and talk about what is required for a company to run its own drone-powered inspections.
While many different drones could get the job done quickly and efficiently, most operators of solar panel inspections are set on a setup that works particularly well for the purpose. That is DJI M300 RTK in combination with the H20T thermal camera payload. It is a powerful setup that gives you high-quality data in a short time.
If you however aim for a little lighter setup, you might want to look into a DJI M30T. While not quite as powerful as the earlier mentioned combination, it still provides a very satisfactory performance as well as good portability.
Do you want to try it out? Then go ahead, click the links and rent the equipment now on Drone-Rental.com.
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