Racking and tracker layout lives or dies on the terrain data behind it. We fly greenfield sites and deliver topo with 1-ft contours for layout and grading design, catch grading surprises during civil work while they are still cheap to fix, map vegetation and access, and document construction progress. Once the site is energized, the same pipeline supports panel inspection and O&M.
Topographic mapping and orthomosaic generation for greenfield solar development. 1-ft contours and DSM/DTM surfaces feed directly into racking and tracker layout, panel row grading design, drainage planning, and interconnection corridor routing. Deliverables integrate with PVsyst and AutoCAD Civil 3D engineering workflows, and support ERCOT interconnection documentation.
Compare as-graded surfaces against the design surface while the earthmoving contractor is still mobilized. A grading deviation caught at civil completion costs a punch-list item; the same deviation discovered at racking installation costs a change order and schedule. Recurring flights during civil work surface these deltas early.
Recurring aerial surveys to track vegetation encroachment on panel rows, tracker systems, and access roads, plus mapping of site access routes and laydown areas. We provide before-and-after documentation to verify mowing and herbicide treatment effectiveness. Vegetation shading on even a few cells triggers bypass diode activation, reducing string-level performance over time.
Scheduled flights through pile driving, racking, module installation, and commissioning. Timestamped orthomosaics and progress quantities give developers, EPCs, and lenders a shared record of where the project actually stands — formatted for draw requests and owner reporting.
Comprehensive visual inspection of every panel row using overlapping flight lines matched to your array geometry. We document physical damage, frame corrosion, junction box anomalies, and glass delamination. Flight plans are designed to capture every panel at consistent angle and resolution, producing a complete visual record suitable for IEC 62446 documentation.
Aerial thermal imaging to identify hot spots, substring failures, and bypass diode anomalies across entire arrays in a single flight session. We classify thermal signatures by severity and correlate patterns to likely root causes: cell cracks, solder bond failures, potential-induced degradation (PID), or soiling. Note: Client-provided thermal equipment may be required for certain payloads, or we can use high-resolution RGB for visual defect identification.
Most utility-scale solar sites rely on inverter-level or string-level monitoring to track performance. These systems detect gross failures but cannot isolate individual panel defects. A single hot spot on one module may reduce string output by only 2-3%, well within the noise floor of production data affected by irradiance variability, soiling, and temperature coefficients. By the time a string shows measurable underperformance in monitoring software, dozens of panels may be affected. Aerial thermal inspection bridges this gap by providing panel-level resolution across the entire site in a single survey.
IEC 62446-3 establishes the framework for outdoor infrared thermography of photovoltaic systems. Compliant inspections require specific environmental conditions (minimum 600 W/m2 irradiance, low wind speed, stable cloud cover), calibrated thermal sensors, and systematic flight coverage. Our flight planning and data processing workflows are designed to meet these requirements, producing documentation that satisfies independent engineer reviews, warranty claim submissions, and insurance assessments.
Module manufacturers require specific evidence to process warranty claims: georeferenced thermal images showing the defect, classification of the anomaly type (hot spot, cell crack, bypass diode failure, PID), and correlation with I-V curve data or string-level monitoring records. We deliver defect reports with the classification detail and spatial accuracy needed to support these claims. Each flagged panel is located by row, table, and string position so your O&M team can verify findings and initiate replacement workflows.
Solar projects connecting to the Texas grid through ERCOT face specific documentation requirements for site conditions, as-built verification, and ongoing compliance. Aerial surveys provide the spatial data needed for interconnection applications, boundary verification, and environmental compliance documentation. For operating sites, recurring aerial surveys create a longitudinal record of site conditions that supports regulatory reporting.
We design flight lines matched to your specific row spacing, table configuration, and tracker orientation. Fixed-tilt and single-axis tracker sites require different approaches. Flight altitude is set to achieve panel-level thermal resolution while maintaining efficient coverage rates across the full installation.
Thermal inspections are scheduled during peak irradiance windows (typically 10 AM to 2 PM) with stable cloud conditions and minimum 600 W/m2 irradiance per IEC 62446-3. We monitor weather forecasts and coordinate with site personnel to maximize data quality. Soiling analysis flights may be timed separately.
Raw thermal and RGB imagery is processed into georeferenced orthomosaics, panel-level defect annotations, and structured classification reports. Deliverables are formatted for integration with your CMMS, asset management platform, or GIS system. Turnaround is typically 5-7 business days from flight completion. See how we process your data →
A 100 MW solar installation can contain over 300,000 individual panels spread across hundreds of acres. Walking rows with a handheld thermal camera is not scalable. Ground crews miss cell-level hot spots that are invisible to the naked eye but clearly visible from 120 feet with calibrated thermal sensors. Potential-induced degradation (PID), micro-cracks from hail or thermal cycling, and soiling patterns all reduce energy yield gradually enough that inverter-level monitoring alone cannot isolate the affected strings. Aerial thermal inspection is the industry standard for utility-scale solar O&M because it is the only method that scales to the size of modern installations.
The same scaling logic applies before the site exists. Hundreds of acres of terrain drive the racking layout, the grading budget, and the drainage design — and a topo flight measures all of it in a day instead of weeks of ground survey crews.
| Topo & 1-ft Contours | DSM/DTM surfaces and contours for racking, tracker layout, and grading design — PVsyst and Civil 3D compatible |
| Panel-Level Defect Annotations | Georeferenced orthomosaics with per-panel anomaly tags, GPS coordinates, and severity classification — RGB visual in-house; thermal with a client-provided sensor |
| Defect Classification Reports | Structured anomaly reports rated against IEC 62446-3 guidelines for prioritized maintenance response |
| Orthomosaic Site Maps | High-resolution RGB orthomosaics at sub-inch GSD for as-built and site condition assessment |
| Vegetation Encroachment Mapping | Classified vegetation maps with before/after comparisons and shading impact zones tied to affected rows |
All deliverables are planning- and estimating-grade reconnaissance, not a boundary/ALTA/sealed survey. Retain a licensed RPLS/PE for sealed deliverables.
Whether you need pre-construction topo, progress monitoring, or a recurring inspection program, we will tailor the scope to your site.
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Phone: (713) 489-5850
Base: Houston, TX
FAA Part 107 Certified · Commercially Insured
All deliverables are planning- and estimating-grade reconnaissance, not a boundary/ALTA/sealed survey. Retain a licensed RPLS/PE for sealed deliverables.