Aerial inspections for PV plants have become increasingly popular, with numerous companies now specializing in aerial data analysis to optimize solar plant operations. In Taiwan, the adoption of drones for PV plant maintenance and management has grown steadily in recent years, significantly improving efficiency and accuracy in system monitoring.

While the growing adoption of aerial inspections for PV plants is a logical trend, it also introduces challenges beyond drone selection and operator certification—particularly in data analysis and organization. For medium- and large-scale PV plants, the vast number of systematically arranged module arrays complicates the identification and precise localization of defects detected in thermal images. If multiple abnormalities are present, engineers may require days—or even longer—to achieve accurate positioning. In many cases, the time spent analyzing data far exceeds the actual drone inspection time. Beyond positioning difficulties, result presentation poses another major hurdle. Errors in system layout data or miscalculations in module positioning can lead on-site personnel to dismantle the wrong units, wasting valuable time and resources. Persistent inaccuracies can erode confidence in aerial inspections, ultimately diminishing their perceived value. Manual reporting further exacerbates the issue, report formats and standards often vary between individuals, making long-term comparisons difficult. This inconsistency hinders efforts to track PV plant degradation over time, resulting in missed opportunities for preventive maintenance and operational optimization.

To address these challenges, AI-powered analysis has been introduced to standardize inspection criteria. By using orthophotos for anomaly positioning, errors can be minimized, allowing investigators to quickly locate abnormal modules via mobile devices and expedite the identification process. Orthophoto-based positioning offers the added advantage of documenting the installation environment of a PV plant, enabling long-term analysis of environmental impacts throughout its 20-year lifespan. Additionally, one-click reporting streamlines workflows, while cloud-based data storage ensures seamless accessibility, effectively addressing key challenges in PV plant aerial inspections.