The leading solar developer and EPC constructing one of the five largest solar sites in the United States—and the largest on any defense land—needs to accelerate defect remediation during construction and pre-commissioning checks. It deploys the SenseHawk Digitization Platform (SDP)-powered SenseHawk Therm solution for this purpose. Pleased with the results, the developer continues its partnership with SenseHawk for ongoing maintenance at the now-operational power plant.
During project construction, the EPC deployed SenseHawk Therm to conduct thermography scans in lockstep with the construction schedule to ensure seamless and on-time commissioning. Therm enabled accurate identification and classification and quick remediation for defects at the end of each stage of the project's construction.
The efficiency of the solution convinces the project owner to partner with SenseHawk for continued maintenance of the site spread across 4500 acres with nearly 2 million photovoltaic (PV) modules. Therm enables inspection speeds of up to 60 MW in a day and reduces remediation time per defect to hours instead of days.
Using SenseHawk Therm for maintenance not only reduces time-to-remediation but also allows the asset operator to track defect occurrence over time and identify potential issues or degradation that could impact site performance and yield. Therm combines aerial surveillance, AI/ML-driven data analytics, and work management to speed defect identification, classification, prioritization, and remediation.
Aerial surveys of the site are conducted using infrared (IR) sensor-equipped drones. Then, AI-powered analytics is applied to the thermal imagery to detect and classify defects. Remedial tasks are created, assigned, and tracked using the integrated task management feature of the SDP.
Onsite, crews access geo-located tasks on the fieldworker-friendly mobile app. Its map-powered interface enables easy navigation to the issue with timely access to checklists, forms, files, and more. Contextual messaging eases collaboration to complete the task at hand, and automated progress updates simplify reporting.
