Sol-Up USA has announced the use of a UAS to assess roof spaces, revolutionising photovoltaic (pv) system design and allowing for more optimised and precise calculations and measurements. The engineering and design process for solar pv systems often rely on satellite images. Newly constructed homes do not appear on satellite images until many months later – hence the needs for aerial views in these situations.
“Our DJI Phantom II is a truly professional tool for Sol-Up to analyse roof spaces, giving us another leading edge in the solar industry. This machine is currently the most sophisticated system on the market and we are just beginning to utilize its potential,” said Frank Rieger, the CEO of Sol-Up USA.
Sol-Up officials emphasize that the images captured by the company’s unmanned drone are being used only to aid in its drafting and designing process.
This is the first time a UAS is used as part of the engineering operation of a solar power company in Nevada. This revolutionary approach has several advantages. Aside from the ability to acquire images previously unavailable via satellites, a flying drone eliminates the risk of human accidents above rooftops while allowing Sol-Up to customize its customer experience down to an individual level.
“With the addition of the UAS, we no longer have to send workers up rooftops to examine available spaces for solar panels. This means we can move faster with our design process and in turn making our clients happier by shortening the process from the initial design stage to the final installation stage,” said Tu Anh Tran, a Sol-Up engineer.
Source: Press Release