Inspection guide
Thermal drone solar panel inspection
Thermal drone inspections use infrared cameras mounted on UAVs to detect hidden faults in solar panels — hotspots, cell damage, wiring failures, and connection issues that are completely invisible to the naked eye. It's the fastest, safest, and most comprehensive way to assess a solar array's health.
Healthy panel
Uniform temperature — all cells operating normally
Hotspot detected
Red cells indicate overheating — thermal inspection view
How thermal drone inspection works
Flight planning
The pilot plans a flight path to cover your entire array. For residential systems, this takes 5–10 minutes of flight time.
Thermal capture
A radiometric infrared camera captures thermal images of every panel. Overheating cells show up as bright spots — the temperature differential is unmistakable.
Analysis
A certified thermographer analyses the thermal images to identify hotspots, cell damage, string issues, and connection faults. AI-assisted analysis is increasingly common.
Report
You receive a detailed report with thermal images, identified faults, severity ratings, and recommended actions for each issue found.
What thermal drones detect
Hotspots
Overheating cells from micro-cracks, defects, or shading
Typical loss: 5–20%
String failures
Entire strings underperforming due to connection issues
Typical loss: 10–25%
Bypass diode faults
Failed protection diodes allowing reverse current
Typical loss: 5–15%
Junction box issues
Overheating connections at the back of panels
Typical loss: 3–10%
Delamination
Layer separation allowing moisture ingress
Typical loss: 5–15%
PID (potential-induced degradation)
Voltage-driven cell degradation patterns
Typical loss: 5–30%
What it costs
Drone thermal audit
Most comprehensive option
Best for large or hard-to-access systems
Handheld thermal scan
More affordable option
Better for smaller systems
Electrical inspection
Targeted check
Inverter + wiring only
Based on conservative solar performance modelling and published degradation data
Updated April 2026 · Structured performance modelling
How we calculate →