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Considerations for Solar Inspection

Forgive me for insisting, but ignorance is what it has :rolleyes:

For example, to inspect solar panels it has to be an infrared camera with the whole spectrum? Wouldn't the Sequioia be valid? I asked because I find it interesting to have both IR and RGB.

Apart from Sequoia, I have access to a Flir vue pro R and the idea I already had is to adapt a small RGB camera to get the two images, synchronize them and make it easier to visually understand the data being viewed.

Would both options be valid? Just one? Advantages or disadvantages?

Thanks to both of you :)

There are many an Inspire 1 v2 x3 or x5 with FLIR Vue Pro R 's attached doing this work now. So i would not discount what you already seem to have in equipment. After all, that was why DJI made the Matrice 210, for its dual camera capabilities and adding flight time over say, the Inspire 1.
 
There are many an Inspire 1 v2 x3 or x5 with FLIR Vue Pro R 's attached doing this work now. So i would not discount what you already seem to have in equipment. After all, that was why DJI made the Matrice 210, for its dual camera capabilities and adding flight time over say, the Inspire 1.

Yeah, that's the idea. In my case an HD RGB camera and the Vue Pro R. What I haven't found yet is a Picture In Picture mixing module. To be able to superimpose the thermal image to the RGB that already has more resolution.

If anyone knows of any small module that does, it would be a very interesting information :)
 
Most people are aware that flying over solar panels with an infrared camera is a quick and easy way to inspect them. But you also have to consider the depth of which you want to take your inspection. If you are inspecting the panels only, you would still need a regular or (RGB) camera. The anomaly you detect with your Thermal Camera could be mud or even bird droppings. Solar Installations are more than just panels. There is a lot of wiring and connections as well as a sizable junction box. All of these areas should be checked if you are doing a full inspection. Once you are inspecting the backside, a handheld thermal camera would be needed, as most panels would be tilted up and difficult to access with your bird. Just some things to keep in mind if you start thinking Solar.

So how are you all calibrating your measurements for solar radiance, and if so, what types of pyranometers do people use? I’ve been looking for an inexpensive one that gets good measurements for educational use.
 
This conversation is dated and I'm curious on what the ideal setup would be given todays May, 2020, available equipment. The Matrice 300 RTK looks to be a great option for the platform. How about the new camera? Any thoughts?
 

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