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Solevi, a German electroluminescence (EL) inspection company, has launched drone-based electrical inspection services for rooftop solar installations in Germany, with plans to further automate and expand geographically.
German electroluminescence (EL) inspection company Solevi began offering drone electrical measurement services on rooftops in Germany almost a year ago.
“The services we offer are EL inspection and dark curve-IV measurements,” Benjamin Eichel, CEO of Solevi, told pv magazine , adding some examples of the drone-based inspection scenarios Solevi typically covers, such as hail, snow loading or lightning damage surveys.
Since its launch, the company has also seen demand for other services, such as commissioning checks focused on installation faults and diode defect detection services to identify open or short circuits, as well as string planning services that use its technology to provide post-installation string plans in the “shortest possible time.”
“We provide chain planning services for older systems where the original plans were lost, or for newly built systems where the installation was not well documented, or where the installer never provided a chain plan,” explains Eichel.
Their field inspection system is equipped with a gimbal, a full-frame camera with an electroluminescence (EL) lens, and a Matrice multicopter drone made by China-based DJI. “In addition, we use a self-developed computing unit, a radio frequency connection, and a base station. We connect and power the photovoltaic strings with a self-developed contact unit. In terms of software, we have developed a command and control program and an analysis program,” explains Eichel.
The German company is developing technology to improve its inspection services. “The goal is to make EL inspection fast and cost-effective. In the field, the most important thing is to speed up the set-up time, flight time and chain connection,” explains Eichel. “The most important part of software development is to speed up evaluation and reporting. Right now, we are introducing machine learning algorithms for image analysis.”
According to the company, Solevi is the only independent service provider in Europe authorised to fly EL drone systems over inhabited areas. Although it can operate throughout the EU and in Switzerland, Germany is so far the main market for its services. It is currently exploring partnerships in other European countries. |
