Hot-cell findings
Thermal anomalies flagged per table, each tied to a table reference and an annotated image. Replaces the notes sheet from the walk. One delivery per annual flyover.
- GSD
- ≤3 cm (UAV, thermal)
- Cadence
- Annual
- Platform
- Drone / crewed aircraft
- Spectral
- RGB + thermal
Skip the row walk. Get the tables to clean or fix, ranked.
One RGB and thermal flyover of the array each year, returned as a findings dossier: hot cells, suspected string outages and soiling by table, ready to turn into tickets.
Where the handheld walk runs out
Someone on your crew walks the rows with a thermal camera, table by table, while the array is loaded and the sun is up. On a big site that takes long enough that the cleaning plan is drawn before the walk is done.
Hot cells go on a sheet by table and row. A dead string tends to show up another way, when the inverter reads low and a technician goes looking. Soiling gets judged from the ground by eye, so the cleaning cycle follows the calendar.
The annual inspection, step by step
| Step | The handheld walk | With Panel Soiling |
|---|---|---|
| Row 01Covering the array | A technician walks every row with a handheld thermal camera, over as many loaded days as the site needs. | One paired RGB and thermal flyover over the site boundary you send. |
| Row 02Finding hot cells | You spot them on the camera screen and note the table and row by hand. | Thermal anomalies come back flagged per table in a findings list, each with an annotated image. |
| Row 03Finding string outages | The inverter or combiner box reads low, then someone goes to find the string. | Suspected outages are flagged from their thermal signature across the array, so they land in the same list as the hot cells. |
| Row 04Deciding what to wash | The cleaning cycle follows the calendar, with soiling judged by eye from the ground. | Tables are ranked by apparent soiling loss, so the crew starts with the dirtiest. |
| Still yours: How often to wash, what it costs, and whether a table is worth the visit. | ||
| Row 05Writing the tickets | Findings are typed into the O&M system one at a time from notes. | A CSV with one row per finding, keyed to your table references, plus overlay images to attach. |
| Row 06Confirming a finding | You are standing at the table when you decide what it is. | You still stand there, but you go to the flagged tables first. |
| Still yours: Field confirmation, IV-curve tracing, and the repair itself. | ||
What the dossier holds
- Exhibit ACSV + overlayRow 02: Finding hot cells
- Exhibit BCSVRow 03: Finding string outages
String-outage flags
Strings that look out of service from their thermal signature, listed with the table references involved. They sit in the same list as the hot cells, so one ticket run covers both.
- Exhibit CRanked listRow 04: Deciding what to wash
Soiling ranking
Tables ordered by apparent soiling loss. Soiling and hot cells are separate finding types, since they look different in the thermal image. Read it ahead of the cleaning-cycle plan.
- Exhibit DCSV + imagesRow 05: Writing the tickets
CSV and annotated overlays
The whole dossier as a CSV you can load into your ticket system or a spreadsheet, with the annotated overlay images alongside.
Before the cleaning plan is set
Site and table reference
You send the site boundary and your table and row numbering, so findings come back in the references your crews use.
Capture window
We agree a capture window with you. Thermal needs loaded modules in steady sun, so the date is scoped around your weather, not ours.
Flyover
RGB and thermal are captured together in one pass over the whole array.
Dossier
Anomalies and soiling patterns are flagged and ranked, and the dossier is delivered before you book cleaning and string-repair crews.
Limits
Time of day and sun
Thermal capture is sensitive to the time of day and to how hard the sun is working the modules. Capture is timed with you and can be pushed by weather.
Resolution floor
At 3 cm a pixel, a standard cell spans several pixels. That is enough to see a hot cell and not enough to see a cracked cell, a bad solder joint or anything smaller than a cell.
Apparent soiling
Soiling is read from the image. It is not a measurement of lost kilowatt-hours, and the ranking says which tables look dirtiest, not what the dirt cost you.
Not an electrical test
Flagged strings are suspected outages. A person still checks them, and IV-curve tracing stays the way to diagnose a string.
Once a year
One flyover a year. A cell that overheats after the pass shows up in next year's, and soiling that builds after it is not tracked.
Not an inspection report
The dossier is a screening list. It is not a signed thermography report for a warranty or insurance claim.
Who it's for
Switch if
- You run O&M for a site and book the cleaning and string-repair crews yourself.
- The handheld walk eats more days than you have, or the cleaning plan is set before it ends.
- You want a ranked list of tables, not a thermal mosaic to scroll through.
Stick with the handheld walk if
- You need a signed thermography report for a warranty or insurance file.
- Your site is small enough that a walk is a day's work.
- You want kilowatt-hour loss figures or IV-curve diagnosis from the same pass.
Questions before a flyover
Does this measure lost kilowatt-hours?
No. The findings are thermal and visual signatures. Metered output and loss figures come from your own monitoring.
Can it tell soiling from a hot cell?
They come back as separate finding types because they look different in the thermal image. Confirm in the field before a crew acts on either.
Does it replace IV-curve tracing?
No. It is a screening pass that says where to send the person with the tracer or the hose.
When do you fly the thermal?
When the array is loaded and the light is steady. We scope the capture window with you, and weather can move it.
Does cloud cover matter?
Yes. Both the RGB and the thermal pass need stable conditions, so a patchy day gets rescheduled.
How do we check it against our own walk?
Pick a block your crew walked recently and don't send us the notes. Compare the tables we flag with yours, then decide whether the ranking is good enough to book crews from.
Will it load into our ticket system?
The findings come as a CSV keyed to your table references, plus images. We don't write into your system directly.
Who owns the imagery and the findings?
Ownership and licence terms are agreed in writing before the flyover. If your legal team needs to review them, ask early.
How is it bought and priced?
The quote depends on site size and the platform used for the flyover. We scope it for your site and don't give a number before that.
Get the tables ranked before you book the crews.
Tell us the site size and when the cleaning plan is due. We will say whether a capture window fits.
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