What We Do

The Pixam PVs drone software could be used to measure EL (abbreviation of ‘electroluminescence’), where a special camera to capture the NIR image. EL image shows the details of the defect, so it is helpful to determine the most of PV cell and module defects. Drones can be used in EL inspection, during night time, since daylight contains a lot of NIR which is stronger than the NIR irradiated from the PV modules. Therefore, such inspection should be done at night or in a darkroom and flying at night increases the difficulty and risk of UAV control. . Alternatively the software could also be used to measure UVFL based imagery, which process is highly similar to EL inspection.
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Advantages

  • It can detect performance degrading PV module faults within such as cracks, and all forms of degradation that impact PV module performance, most notably Potential Induced Degradation (PID).
  • It can detect electrical disconnects and other resistance faults within and between cells, including a short-circuited bypass diode failure. Additionally, OM-PL is the only method which is able to detect open-circuited bypass diode failure.
  • It can be performed on PV modules after installation, i.e. faults that were introduced during the installation of the PV modules or due to ageing or external stresses (extreme weather events) can be identified.
  • Thanks to the software, there is no need for large generator or power supply to be carried into the field, as the sunlight is used as a high-power excitation source. However, a power source (e.g. battery) is required to operate the camera, computer and modulation electronics or LED.