Increasing the efficiency of Solar Panels using Lambda
Project Overview
Solar is one of the most prominent renewable energy sources with a growing demand globally. Massive commercial solar installations need ongoing and sometimes urgent inspections. One of our clients based out of the USA was in need of such inspection, primarily to assess overall health of the farm and to identify defective panels for replacement.
With a recurring challenge of bad weather, the inspection had to be completed within days of project commissioning. With such a tight timeline to get to accurate inspection reports, Lambda Inspect provided a perfect solution using our AI powered end-to-end automation.
Our Solution
Thermal data and optical data was collected using drones with the optimal payloads. This was done in partnership with a company specialising in drone inspections. Lambda scan field application ensured collection of accurate data. This data was then automatically uploaded onto our cloud based application, Lambda Inspect, which enables processing, enhancement, analysis and report generation with a few clicks through our AI based automation.
With our AI models for defect identification and localisation, Lambda Inspect was able to generate high quality reports along with high resolution orthomosaics. Automated reports generated from the software along with all the data was made accessible securely through the cloud application.
ML based data fusion on optical and thermal images was key to the success of this project.
Project Outcome
Using the automation and AI features of Lambda, we were able to comprehensively identify damages in the solar installation.
The bulk of the issues related to internal circuit mishaps that had caused hotspots. There were a few panels that had been completely damaged leading to critical high severity defects. Other issues identified included dust, hotspots and a few cracks. These defects collectively were leading to sub-optimal output from the solar farm.
Some key benefits for the client include:
- 60% reduction in costs through automation using Lambda
- Total project duration reduced by 50%
- 25% more precise damage sizing