Thermal imaging solar panels

[Exfarmer]

Has anyone experience of doing this for fault finding? Has been suggested we could detect faulty panels in an array as they would be a different temperature to working ones. Would be a great thing if we could fly a drone over to check them out.

Would they be hotter or cooler?

 

[Kidds]

Would they be hotter or cooler?

Doesn't really matter if you are looking at a few panels rather than just one, the faults would stand out as being different to the rest.
No expert but I think you can alter how the thermal camera displays hot and cold anyway, as in inverting the colours to suit you.

 

[Exfarmer]

I have I believe 3 panels failed in an array of 200 luckily wee can get easy access to all very easily, would be a great thing if I could just find those 3 as we have no clue at all how they were wired except they are in strings of 10
If only these guys had left good clear maps

 

[Yale]

I have I believe 3 panels failed in an array of 200 luckily wee can get easy access to all very easily, would be a great thing if I could just find those 3 as we have no clue at all how they were wired except they are in strings of 10
If only these guys had left good clear maps

Would the fire service have any?

Just phone 999.

 

[Doing it for the kids]

I have I believe 3 panels failed in an array of 200 luckily wee can get easy access to all very easily, would be a great thing if I could just find those 3 as we have no clue at all how they were wired except they are in strings of 10
If only these guys had left good clear maps

It’s commercially available seen them doing it on ours before.

Not sure who to ask though, would be 3 minutes work!

 

[Exfarmer]

It’s commercially available seen them doing it on ours before.

Not sure who to ask though, would be 3 minutes work!

If it is the company I am thinking of it would probably be cheaper to replace the lot

 

[sjt01]

If it is the company I am thinking of it would probably be cheaper to replace the lot

Look for FLIR One or Seek Thermal on the web. They attach to a mobile phone and are not expensive.

 

[Exfarmer]

Look for FLIR One or Seek Thermal on the web. They attach to a mobile phone and are not expensive.

Thanks will have a look

 

[Adam@Rumen]

Can you use a thermal spotter? A lot of shooters using them now so should be able to get hold of one fairly handy?

 

[Doing it for the kids]

That’s a very good idea. Works well for finding UF heating pipes!

 

[PSQ]

Can you use a thermal spotter? A lot of shooters using them now so should be able to get hold of one fairly handy?

It would be a very good excuse to put a thermal imaging rifle scope through the books.

Just don't be tempted to use it for leisure purposes.

 

[Exfarmer]

played around with a little hand held cheap device today but it was useless , I am thinking I will have to go for a drone

 

[MrNoo]

They used a drone here on the solar farm, was here for a couple of days going back and forth along the rows of panels doing exactly what you describe, afraid I don't know who/which Co was doing it but when I asked about it the chap explained that's what they were doing.

 

[Wisconsonian]

Is the theory that they will be hotter as they're not removing the 15-20% of the energy as electricity that the working panels are removing? A non contact thermometer might work, should work as well from the back side as the front, and a whole lot easier as you can get closer and point perpendicular to the panel, plus no reflected sunlight to mess up the reading. I'd think it would work best on a cool clear day, for maximum temp variation.

 

[Dman2]

Look for FLIR One or Seek Thermal on the web. They attach to a mobile phone and are not expensive.

I have a Blackview mobile phone which has a thermal imaging camera on it.
Don`t use it as a phone anymore as speaker packed in, but the thermal camera is brilliant

 

[upnortheast]

I have a Blackview mobile phone which has a thermal imaging camera on it.
Don`t use it as a phone anymore as speaker packed in, but the thermal camera is brilliant

Son has one of those.
Got into a bit of bother when he told his wife the hottest part of her body was her mouth

 

[Exfarmer]

they look to cheap to be much good, perhaps I am very wrong

 

[RushesToo]

This might give you some leads:

 

[Exfarmer]

This might give you some leads:

cheers this is the problem. I realised when trying out a cheap little toy y, you need a fair overview to show up issues.
My toy did show the value of panels in more ways than one.
These panels mounted on a chicken shed, yes they are insulated but the chicken shed requires ventilation to get rid of excess heat.
The day I was testing was about 18C, but the panels to be around 26-28 C the Tin roof underneath was about 18C but the tin not shaded was 38C.

 

[Dman2]

they look to cheap to be much good, perhaps I am very wrong

Can you tell where the water pipes run

Or where there isn`t enough insulation on the pipes

And another

I have some others somewhere where I took a picture of the wall in the bathroom and you could see where the heating pipes ran behind the tiles