UK-based smart software provider Above Surveying has partnered with Kiwa PI Berlin and 2 Degrees Kelvin (2DK) for solar panel quality assurance and condition monitoring.
Kiwa is a global technical advisor, risk manager and quality assurance provider for PV installations and equipment, and 2DK is an engineering firm that has provided consultancy and services for more than 1 GW of large-scale solar energy.
Thanks to the collaboration with Above, the three are launching a turnkey solution that integrates quality assurance, engineering and digital solutions across the entire module value chain.
The companies are targeting the UK market, claiming they will ‘transform’ the quality and performance of the country’s next generation of solar energy systems. The main offering of the partnership is the Module Condition Monitoring service, which the group calls a “one-stop-shop offering”.
It provides oversight across the entire solar lifecycle, from pre-shipment audits and inspections to post-shipment testing, post-installation testing, asset digitalization and lifetime operational monitoring.
This means that instead of purchasing monitoring services from multiple service providers, which causes data gaps and loss of value, the partnership offers a simpler transaction and more complete monitoring.
The data captured by the Module Condition Monitoring system will be integrated into a single digital twin on Above’s SolarGain platform, a digital plant management software that uses machine learning technology to generate plant health reports.
By creating a virtual representation of a system or asset, the digital twin calculates system statuses and makes system information available through integrated models and datawith which customers can optimize and future-proof their solar power plants.
CEO of Above Surveying, Will Hitchcock, said the partners were “confident” that the partnership “will redefine solar panel condition monitoring in Britain”.
He added: “The industry has long needed a turnkey service like Module Condition Monitoring to provide full traceability and quality control from the factory floor through to the long term.”
Digitization and data for large-scale solar energy
Above uses drones to conduct thermographic inspections of solar health, targeting large-scale operations. In addition, it has invested heavily in automating its analysis processes and in digitalization and data mining.
Digitalization and automation of site inspections will “play a fundamental role” in the growing deployment of utility-scale solar energy, Hitchcock said, following the British company’s acquisition of German drone startup ucair.
The surveying company tested autonomous drone technology at a solar power plant managed by Octopus Energy Generation, using a remotely operated drone to conduct more frequent site inspections.
