UK-based smart software provider Above Surveying has partnered with Kiwa PI Berlin and 2 Degrees Kelvin (2DK) for solar module quality assurance and condition monitoring.
Kiwa is a global technical advisor, risk manager and quality assurance provider for PV plants and equipment and 2DK is an engineering firm that has advised and provided services on over 1GW of large-scale solar assets.
The partnership with Above sees the three launch a turnkey solution that integrates quality assurance, engineering, and digital solutions across the module value chain.
Targeting the UK market, the companies claim they will “transform” the quality and performance of the nation’s next-generation solar assets. The collaboration’s key offering is the Module Condition Monitoring service, which the group calls a “one-stop shop offering”.
It provides oversight across the entire solar module lifecycle, from manufacturing pre-shipment audits and inspection through to post-shipment, post-installation testing, asset digitalisation, and into lifetime operational monitoring.
This means that, instead of sourcing monitoring services from multiple service providers, causing data gaps and value loss, the partnership offers a simpler transaction and more complete oversight.
The data that the Module Condition Monitoring system captures will be integrated into a single digital twin on Above’s SolarGain platform, a digital plant management software that uses machine learning technology to provide plant health reports.
By creating a virtual representation of a system or asset, the digital twin calculates system states and makes system information available through integrated models and data, helping customers optimise and futureproof their solar plants.
CEO of Above Surveying, Will Hitchcock, said the partners were “confident” the partnership will “redefine solar module condition monitoring in the UK”.
He added: “The industry has long needed a turnkey service like Module Condition Monitoring to offer full traceability and quality control from the factory floor to long term operation.”
Digitalisation and data for large-scale solar
Above uses drones to carry out thermographic inspections of the health of solar assets, focused on large-scale operations. Additionally, it has invested heavily in automating its analysis processes and in digitalisation and data mining.
Digitalisation and automation of inspection at sites will “play a fundamental role” in the growing deployment of utility-scale solar, said Hitchcock, following the UK company’s acquisition of German drone start-up ucair.
The surveying company trialled autonomous drone technology at a solar power plant managed by Octopus Energy Generation, using a remotely operated drone to carry out more frequent inspections at the site.
