The first drone inspection service will take place sometime next year. The drone is equipped with built-in sensors, algorithms that detect and classify the potential causes of reduced panel performance (breakage, dirt, or degradation), other algorithms that provide reliable and robust indicators of the system's technical and economic performance, and an application for optimizing maintenance activities.
The improvements that the project will bring at an operational level will involve improving the inspection of the panels, reducing the times for taking measurements and post-processing, as well as carrying out the operation and maintenance activities with the minimum costs and maximizing the lifespan of the plant.
The project, called SCARAB, is led by Ingeteam and includes the participation of the University of Castilla-La Mancha. It is scheduled for completion by the end of 2019 and has a budget of €648,510, co-financed by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and ERDF funds, within the State Program for Research, Development and Innovation Oriented to the Challenges of Society, under the framework of the State Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation 2013-2016.
At a technical level, the project addresses the development of new technologies in two areas. On the one hand, it focuses on the monitoring and processing of signals for the inspection and automatic detection of faults in photovoltaic panels using more efficient sensors. On the other hand, it explores information technologies, developing advanced algorithms for fault classification, estimating the condition of the solar plant, and optimizing maintenance strategies.

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