95% Defect Detection Rate! Automated Flight Systems Enhance Efficient Operation and Maintenance of Photovoltaic Power Plants
As global demand for green and clean energy continues to rise, the solar power industry has experienced rapid growth in recent years. By the end of 2024, the total installed capacity for solar energy in China reached 88.66 million kW, a significant increase from 60.949 million kW at the end of 2023, reflecting an addition of 27.717 million kW in new installations. This massive capacity and the fast-growing market have made the operation and maintenance (O&M) management of photovoltaic (PV) power plants a pressing challenge, as traditional manual inspection methods struggle to meet the increasing O&M demands. The automatic inspection system for solar panels developed by Fuyazhi Intelligent boasts an impressive 95% defect detection rate and full automation, serving as a critical support for the efficient and precise operation of solar power plants.
Current Status and Challenges of PV Plant O&M
Over time, photovoltaic modules inevitably face impacts from natural environments, climate changes, and external pollutants. Issues such as high temperatures, dust, partial shading, and module fractures can lead to decreased energy generation efficiency and even cause equipment failures. For instance, the phenomenon of hot spots can lead to a sharp rise in local temperatures, accelerating material aging and potentially resulting in severe failures like module burning, which directly affects the overall safety and economic benefits of the power plant.
Traditional inspections of PV plants predominantly rely on manual ground patrols and handheld detection instruments. Due to the typically large area and complex terrain of these plants, manual inspections are not only time-consuming and labor-intensive but also prone to oversight or misjudgment. Once an equipment anomaly occurs, it is often challenging to detect and address it promptly, leading to greater losses. This is particularly true for large-scale solar power plants, where the human, material, and time costs associated with manual inspections are substantial, highlighting the urgent need for an efficient, accurate, and intelligent inspection method to ensure the safe and stable operation of the plants.
Automated Flight Systems: Empowering PV O&M through Technological Innovation
The Fuyazhi Intelligent automated flight system is built on advanced AI image recognition technology and fully automated flight control technology. It integrates automatic drone airports, intelligent drones, AI recognition technology, and automated flight capabilities to create a highly efficient and intelligent inspection system for solar power stations. This system offers a comprehensive smart inspection solution that covers everything from flight path planning and data collection to defect detection and report generation. By closely integrating software and hardware, the system enables autonomous inspections by drones within photovoltaic plants, significantly enhancing O&M efficiency and data accuracy.
Fully Automated Flight Path Planning and Smart Terrain Following
The automated flight path planning feature provides an improved user experience. New users simply define the plant area on a map, and the system can quickly establish a two-dimensional model of the solar power plant, automatically generating a customized orthophoto base. Based on this base, the system can automatically identify the location distribution of all photovoltaic components and generate the optimal inspection flight path. For hilly terrain solar plants, the system features terrain-following capabilities, adjusting the flight altitude in real-time according to the actual terrain height, avoiding obstacles, and ensuring the completeness and accuracy of inspection data. This automated planning capability greatly reduces preparation time for inspections while preventing oversights that may occur with manual routing.
AI Image Recognition with a 95% Defect Detection Rate
During flight, the drone not only captures visible light images but also collects thermal imaging data. By utilizing multi-dimensional data fusion and advanced AI image recognition algorithms, the system can quickly analyze the surface conditions of photovoltaic components, accurately identifying common defects such as hot spots, fractures, and shading. Compared to manual inspections, the system achieves a defect detection rate of 95%, minimizing the risk of missed detections and reducing false positives, thus providing reliable data support for O&M decisions. Data is transmitted in real-time to the Fuyazhi Smart Cloud platform, where AI analysis generates intuitive and detailed inspection reports, providing accurate references for subsequent repairs.
Automatic Report Generation and Work Order Closure
Upon completion of inspection tasks, the system automatically generates reports that include detailed information such as defect locations, fault types, and inspection times, and supports one-click dispatching of maintenance work orders. For suspected hazards, a second inspection can be initiated with a single click. This automated report feature not only speeds up information transfer but also enables maintenance personnel to quickly locate fault points and promptly devise and implement repair plans, thereby reducing power generation losses due to faults and achieving closed-loop management of O&M tasks.
Efficiency Improvement of 4 to 5 Times
Taking a 100 MW centralized photovoltaic power plant as an example, traditional inspections require three personnel to work continuously for 6 to 7 days, consuming significant time and manpower. In contrast, the Fuyazhi Intelligent automated flight system can complete the same range of inspection tasks within 10 hours using just one drone. This improvement boosts efficiency by 4 to 5 times while effectively reducing the safety risks associated with manual inspections. The application of the Fuyazhi automated flight system not only saves labor costs but also enhances the accuracy of inspection data, providing robust support for the long-term stable operation of photovoltaic power plants.
With its efficient and accurate inspection capabilities, the Fuyazhi Intelligent automated flight system effectively addresses the shortcomings of traditional manual inspections, offering a safe and efficient O&M solution for photovoltaic power plants. Looking ahead, Fuyazhi Intelligent will continue to enhance inspection efficiency and the accuracy of fault diagnosis, optimizing hardware performance, flight control, and image recognition to provide more comprehensive and reliable solutions for O&M management in various complex scenarios.
