Autonomous PV Panel Inspection With Geotagging Capabilities Using Drone

Abstract

According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), photovoltaic (PV) production anticipates an increase of 10% in 2021. The rapid increase in the PV panels installation requires a robust inspection method of existing solar parks to maintain efficiency and productivity levels. With advancements in drone technology, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) are being used to inspect the solar parks, either flown manually or autonomously. Furthermore, there are various image processing approaches to analyze the data gathered. However, current practical application techniques do not effectively localize the defective panels present within the solar farm. This paper proposes a method to inspect large-scale solar parks using an autonomous drone equipped with Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) and camera. The proposed method is a fully autonomous solution for inspecting PV panels, with effective detection and localization of faults. It can ease the procedure of inspection by automating it and give highly reliable results.