UAV system for photovoltaic plant inspection

In the last two decades, growing attention on climate issues has caused the worldwide increase of Photovoltaic (PV) plant production and installation, and the consequent promotion of clean energy policies, with large amounts of incentives and funding made available in the specific sector by Governments and the European Economic Community itself. Increasing PV distribution and installation has to ask for efficient and low-cost methods for inspection to monitor functionality and guarantee performance. A big concern of PV plant owners is to rely on efficient maintenance procedures. Recognizing degradation and defects of PV cells is a very important issue to allow immediate intervention and substitution of modules to avoid output power losses and performance degradation.