Introduction
Acquiring good quality data is the first step in delivering quality results. Making sure that you are set up properly for your flight will give you the best chance of success. In this article we will cover the things to check before your flight and some of the areas of flying we typically see go wrong.
For a more exhaustive list of the requirements for these data products you can use the following support articles:
Checklist - Read Twice Fly Once!
Hardware considerations
Are you flying with the H20T? Make sure you are using the correct camera (Zoom lens) and that you are setting it to the correct zoom (2x) before each flight. For more details you can read this support article.
Sitemark is not compatible with super resolution thermal images. If you are flying with a thermal camera that supports this feature, make sure to disable it before all of your flights. For more details on this, you can read this support article.
For a full list of our supported hardware you can check out this support article.
Pre-Flight Site Conditions Checklist
Before the flight, it’s important to check the site to ensure optimal data quality. Here are some of the key points that we recommend you to check:
Operational Status: The site should be energized and operating normally, with no curtailments or clipping. Flight should begin at least 15 minutes after any significant operational or load changes, if it is the first operation of the day it is better to extend the waiting period to 30 minutes. Thermal data on inactive systems will not give any results on thermography. Likewise, thermal data on systems under fluctuating loads will produce inconsistent inspection results and will need to be reflown under ideal conditions once the site is fully operational.
Vegetation: Make sure grass, bushes, or weeds are not covering or shading modules. Excess vegetation can block visibility and cause hotspots on the modules.
Soiling: Confirm modules are not covered with dust, bird droppings, or other debris, as these appear to be a hotspot in the inspection result.
Removable Objects: Clear any temporary items such as tools, packaging, vehicles, or tarps from the inspection area. These can obstruct modules and affect image analysis.
Wet Modules: Avoid flying when modules are wet from rain, dew, or cleaning. Water can cause reflections and temperature anomalies in thermal images.
Self shading: Avoid flying too early in the morning or too late in the afternoon, as the angle of the sun can cause tables to cast shadows on adjacent rows, even when irradiance levels seem sufficient. These shadows create self-shading, which can temporarily block current in the affected areas.
Do's & Do Nots
Utilising the Photo Checker
Single Axis Trackers
We prefer that the panels be fixed horizontally. If this is not possible, the angle of the trackers should not exceed 50° from horizontal.
Avoid flying early in the morning/late in the afternoon when the sun is in the lowest position to minimise the inter-row glare.
Dual-Axis Trackers
If the dual-axis tracker is higher than <5 m - please follow the rooftop guidelines and, if needed, increase the altitude to ensure every tracker is entirely visible on the visual and thermal photos.
