Thermal and visual drone inspections
Roofs, facades, industrial halls, power lines and wind turbines inspected from the air, with an annotated report and a ranked defect list.
PV thermography
Solar farm thermal inspection in Romania
We fly ground-mounted and rooftop PV plants with a radiometric thermal drone, classify every anomaly and locate it by string and module. For plants up to 20 MW, you receive the report within 5 working days of the flight.
- Irradiance of at least 600 W/m², measured on site
- Thermal GSD of 3–6 cm, with an RGB pair for every frame
- Mobilization anywhere in Romania in 24–72 h
- EASA A1/A3 and A2 certified pilots
- Radiometric DJI Mavic 3T thermal drone
- PV thermal flights per IEC TS 62446-3 recommendations
- Written quote within 24 h on working days
A complete thermal record of the plant in one visit
A solar farm thermal inspection is a drone survey of every module in a PV plant with a radiometric thermal camera and an RGB camera. Asset owners, O&M contractors, EPCs and investors receive a PDF report, an anomaly list located by string and module, and a thermal orthomosaic within 5 working days for plants up to 20 MW.
Radiometric means that every pixel stores a temperature, not only a color. Comparing each module with its neighbors is how a hotspot, a bypassed diode or a disconnected string shows up from the air.
We follow the acquisition conditions recommended in IEC TS 62446-3: irradiance of at least 600 W/m² measured on site, clear sky, wind within the drone limits and flights around solar noon. A 9.5 MW park takes about 2 h 15 min on site, and in good irradiance we cover up to about 50 MW per flight day.
Analysis runs in Scopito, a platform for anomaly classification and reporting, so every finding links to its thermal and RGB image pair.
Built for the people who run and finance PV assets
Asset owners
A yearly baseline of module health and dated evidence for warranty claims.
O&M contractors
A ranked fault list your field team works through string by string.
EPCs at handover
An independent thermal record of the plant at commissioning, before the performance period starts.
Investors and due diligence
Measured module condition for a transaction, in place of an assumption in the data room.
Insurers and loss adjusters
Documented damage after hail or a storm, with a GPS position for every affected module.
Rooftop PV owners
Systems on shopping centers, logistics halls and factories, inspected with nobody on the roof.
Faults found from the air, fixed on the ground
Every module, one visit
The drone records every module, so no finding depends on where a technician happened to walk.
Faults ranked by severity
Each anomaly gets a class and a severity score, so the field team starts with the faults that cost the most yield.
Located to the module
Findings carry the string and module index plus GPS coordinates, so a technician walks straight to the right module.
No production stop
Thermography needs the plant running under load, so production continues while we fly.
Platform-ready data
If your analysis runs on a platform, we fly to its spec and deliver complete RGB/IR pairs with EXIF intact.
From brief to report in six steps
Brief and quote
You send the location, installed capacity and site layout. A written quote follows within 24 h on working days.
Flight plan
We set GSD, altitude, overlap and flight direction relative to the rows, and check the airspace over the site.
Weather window
We book a clear day with irradiance of at least 600 W/m² and fly the window around solar noon.
Acquisition on site
We fly thermal and RGB together, log irradiance and check coverage before leaving.
Analysis and report
Anomalies are classified in Scopito and checked. For plants up to 20 MW, the report reaches you within 5 working days.
Handover meeting
We walk your team through the findings and the priority list.
What you receive after the inspection
The report, anomaly list and maps come with every inspection. Exports and raw data are optional.
PDF inspection report
Location, inspection date, installed capacity, irradiance during the flight, drone model, methodology, anomaly summary by class and severity, conclusions and a recommended date for the next inspection.
Anomaly list
Every finding with its class, severity, string and module index and GPS coordinates.
Thermal and RGB image pairs
One radiometric and one visual image for every anomaly.
Overview map and thermal orthomosaic
A plant map with anomaly markers, and an orthomosaic: a single georeferenced thermal image of the whole site.
CSV or Excel export
The anomaly table in a format your maintenance system can import, on request.
Raw dataset
Original R-JPEG thermal frames and RGB frames with EXIF and GPS intact, on request.
Acquisition parameters
| Drone | DJI Mavic 3T | |
|---|---|---|
| Thermal sensor | Radiometric, 640×512 | |
| RGB sensor | 48 MP wide, 56× hybrid zoom | |
| Thermal GSD | 3 cm detailed, 6 cm overview | GSD is the ground size of one pixel |
| Overlap | 85% front, 65% side | When the data goes to an analytics platform |
| Irradiance | ≥ 600 W/m² | Measured on site and logged with the flight |
| Sky and wind | Clear sky, wind within drone limits | |
| Time window | Around solar noon | |
| Capacity | Up to about 50 MW per flight day | |
| Report | 5 working days | For plants up to 20 MW |
Acquisition conditions follow the recommendations of IEC TS 62446-3.
Anomaly classes in our reports
Hotspots
Single-cell and multi-cell, scored by temperature difference.
Bypass diodes
One third of a module running hot.
Modules and strings offline
Open-circuit modules and strings that are not producing.
PID-like patterns
Degradation spreading along a string.
Soiling, shading and vegetation
Dirt, shadows and plants that cut output.
Physical damage
Cracked glass, missing modules, hot junction boxes and connectors.
- PV capacity flown in 2026
- 120+ MW
- On site for a 9.5 MW park
- 2 h 15 min
- Thermal ground sampling distance
- 3–6 cm
- Report turnaround, working days
- 5 daysPlants up to 20 MW
Questions about PV thermal inspection
How long does it take to inspect a 10 MW solar park?
Plan for one flight window of about two to three hours on site. For reference, a 9.5 MW park in Prahova County took about 2 h 15 min on site in June 2026. Setup and the coverage check are included in that time, and the report follows within 5 working days.
What weather do you need for a thermal inspection?
Irradiance of at least 600 W/m², a clear sky and wind within the drone limits, as recommended in IEC TS 62446-3. Under these conditions faulty cells run clearly hotter than healthy ones. We measure irradiance on site, log it with the flight and move the date if the forecast misses the threshold.
What does a PV thermal inspection cost?
The price depends mainly on installed capacity, the mounting type (ground-mounted or rooftop) and the travel distance to the plant. Detail level also counts: 3 cm or 6 cm thermal GSD, a platform export, CSV files or the raw dataset. Send the plant details and you receive a written quote within 24 h on working days. Recurring yearly inspections are quoted as a campaign.
How often should a PV plant be inspected?
Once a year as a baseline, plus after hail or storm events and before module warranties expire. Comparing yearly reports shows which faults are new and which are spreading. Each report also gives you dated, radiometric evidence for warranty and insurance claims, with the irradiance logged during the flight.
How is a drone inspection different from a manual check with a handheld thermal camera?
A drone records every module in one visit, while a handheld camera covers only the modules a technician reaches. From the air, a 9.5 MW park takes about 2 h 15 min on site. Every finding gets GPS coordinates and an image pair, so results compare year on year.
Can you deliver the data to our platform, such as Scopito, Sitemark, Raptor Maps or Zeitview?
Yes. We fly to the platform spec, for example 6 cm thermal GSD with 85% front and 65% side overlap, and deliver complete RGB/IR pairs with EXIF intact in the required folder structure or through the platform uploader. These names describe specs we fly to; they are not endorsements.
Do you inspect rooftop PV systems?
Yes, including the full inspection of a rooftop PV system on a shopping center in Iași in 2026, with acquisition, anomaly classification and a Scopito report. Nobody needs to walk the roof, and the method and report structure are the same as for a ground-mounted park.
Get a quote for your PV plant
Send the location and installed capacity. You receive a written quote within 24 h on working days.
- Reply within 24 h on working days
- Written quote, no obligation
- Your data stays confidential
Written quote, no obligation. Your data stays confidential.