UAV-based thermal monitoring of solar panels for different topographic conditions

The unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can be used to monitor photovoltaic(PV)systems, specifically focusing on their integration with thermal imaging technology. The process involves equipping UAVs with integrated thermal cameras to capture aerial photographs, which are then used to generatethermal orthomosaic. These thermal dataplay a crucial role in efficiency calculations for solar panelsin solar farms.The integration of UAVs with thermal imaging technology offers several advantages. It provides a rapid and cost-effective solution for monitoring solar farmswhere human resources may be limited. The use of thermal orthomosaic instead of multiple thermal aerial photographs streamlines the data collection process, allowing for efficient temperature and efficiency calculations.The temperatures and efficiencies of solar panels in different geographic directions in solar farmswere rapidly examined using UAV. It has been calculated that temperatures vary more significantly based on direction than efficiencies.Although solar panels have regional temperature differences of approximately 1to8°C,panel efficiency waswithin 1%. Therefore, there mightbe directional temperature differences in solar farm, panel efficiencies weresimilar during winter months.