Drone thermography of solar panels and PV arrays
DroneMex connects C&I solar installers, O&M operators, plant managers, and owners of industrial rooftops with AFAC-licensed pilots who fly thermal inspections of photovoltaic arrays — finding hotspots, damaged cells, offline strings, and failing bypass diodes without sending a crew onto the roof or shutting generation down. Post the mission, compare proposals from pilots with verified thermal cameras, and payment stays protected in escrow until you approve the deliverable.
What does aerial thermography detect on a solar array?
A drone-mounted thermal camera identifies hotspots on individual modules, cracked or damaged cells, entire strings that are offline, failing bypass diodes, and areas affected by soiling, bird droppings, or partial shading. Each fault leaves a distinct thermal signature across the array, so a single flight tells you which modules need attention and which are healthy. It is a visual diagnostic: your own crew handles the repair or replacement, but with the map already in hand.
How do I document solar panel damage after a hailstorm?
A thermal flight after the storm shows which modules have fractured cells even when the glass looks intact from the ground — hail damage is often invisible to the eye but visible in thermal. In northern Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Aguascalientes) this is a seasonal need, and the geo-referenced report works as evidence for an insurance claim or a manufacturer warranty claim. Post the mission on DroneMex and get proposals from AFAC-licensed pilots in your region instead of waiting for a crew to drive in from another city.
Why use a drone instead of walking a large industrial rooftop panel by panel?
On an industrial rooftop with thousands of modules, or across a solar park, checking the array on foot takes days and puts people on the roof. A drone covers the same surface in a fraction of the time, with no foot traffic on the membrane, no risk of stepping on modules, and no need to stop plant operations or curtail generation. For an installer or O&M operator that means a full diagnostic in one visit instead of several crew days.
What conditions are required for a valid thermographic flight?
Thermography of PV modules requires the array to be producing: you need sufficient irradiance, clear or lightly clouded sky, and a time close to solar noon so thermal anomalies stand out against healthy modules. Under heavy cloud, rain, or strong wind the imagery loses diagnostic value. That is why the pilot schedules the flight around site weather and may reschedule — which is the right call: a flight in poor conditions is not usable as evidence.
How is a thermographic inspection priced by MW or by module count?
Each pilot quotes on your actual scope: installed MW, number of modules or strings, roof area, and whether it is one site or several. The platform minimum mission budget is $1,000 MXN and DroneMex charges a 10% platform commission. Payment is held in Stripe escrow from the moment you accept a proposal and released to the pilot when you approve the deliverable, or automatically 72 hours after delivery if you have not opened a dispute.
What deliverable does a solar installer or O&M operator receive?
Whatever you agree with the pilot in the mission: typically a geo-referenced thermal report locating each anomaly by string and by module within the array, along with the thermal imagery and a site map. That report goes into the maintenance file, attaches to a warranty or insurance claim, and can be handed to the end client as quality evidence at project handover or annual review. If your corporate client requires a specific format, agree on it with the pilot before accepting the proposal.
AFAC-licensed pilots
Minimum budget MXN
Auto-release after delivery
Have a solar rooftop or plant to inspect?
Post the mission for free and get proposals from AFAC-certified pilots with thermal cameras in your area.