Can drone tell if panels/tiles are working?

[jboy210]

Hi,

I was on another forum and someone was talking about using a drone to tell if their solarroof tile/panels were working. There was some mention about a thermal camera. Can some explain how this works and what it would tell you?
Thanks.

 

[BrettS]

It’s my understanding that a working panel will be cooler than a non working panel. Some of the energy that would be used to heat the panel is turned into electricity instead.

I don’t know exactly how much of a temperature differential there would be or if it could reliably be detected with a thermal camera, but it would certainly seem possible.

 

[Willy3]

It can be done, but thermal cameras have a hard time with reflective surfaces. You’d need a very sensitive camera with just the right settings at just the right angle and the ability to view and adjust remotely. Reliable readings would likely require some expensive equipment in the hands of someone very experienced with thermal imaging. I don’t know anything about drones.

 

[jboy210]

I did a little more searching and it appears it is true that they can see if a solar panel is working with a thermal camera attached to a drone.

The prices look beyond where I would want to pay, but if I had a field of panels this makes sense.

 

[zƬesla]

Here’s part of a photo posted to another site showing a thermal image of solar tiles with a non-producing row in the upper portion. Looks like it could be useful tech.