The world of site surveys is changing fast due in large part to nearly one million registered drones. On top of the heightened drone use, the popularity of solar power is growing just as fast. Since 2008, U.S. solar installations have exponentially from 1.2 gigawatts (GW) to an estimated 89 GW at the end of 2019. Now some solar companies are handling their roof surveys and shading analysis with drone technology. Originally, surveyors were using a ladder, camera, tape measure, handheld shade measurement tools, and other safety equipment for roof surveys. Some were even using extended selfie sticks to get imagery of the roof. This traditional process could take hours, puts surveyors at risk of falling off rooftops, and introduces inconsistency from surveyor to surveyor. If you’re looking for ways to improve your solar site surveys with better efficiency, more consistency, and precise data – drone software for solar designs might be the best thing under the sun.
If any of the following is true, you’ll know drone solutions for solar surveys are right for you.
You Want More Accuracy
For success in any industry, accuracy and attention to detail are essential. Dated shading data can lead to bad designs, costing you money or leaving it on the table. Accuracy and precision are the path to prosperity for any solar installer. Solar roof surveys require meticulous attention to the small things. Inspecting the same roof twice is a waste of time and designing systems from dated data is a poor business practice. Drones a technology platform enable the most comprehensive data capture available, ensuring your measurements are accurate, shading analysis is correctly calculated, and designs profitable.
You Want More Efficient Site Surveys
Alternative forms of energy like solar are becoming mainstream, which means demand is incredibly high and solar companies have a ton to do and some are falling behind. Drones can get you caught up with a backlog, and even propel you ahead. Some drone solutions can survey a roof in as little as five minutes in contrast to the hours it takes using traditional ladder methods. Using drones would give your surveyors the power to significantly increase their daily output.
You Want to Automate Model Creation
Pictures are great and can be an asset to the solar roof survey process. But if you’re trying to deliver the best service to your customers, you need a way to view the roof from every angle in extreme detail. A lot of times a surveyor draws measurements of the roof and marks where vents and obstacles are on a piece of paper and hands it off to a designer in the office. That designer needs use those measurements to create a model in CAD before they can start planning where panels go, where cables run, etc. Using a drone for a solar site survey to scan the roof and create a 3D model that gets imported directly into CAD saves time on-site and time for the person developing the plans. These plans are important because sometimes the city needs to see them to issue permits. If someone makes a mistake, permits get denied you’re back to square one.
You Want to Keep Surveyors Safe
Accidents happen. Even the most proficient site surveyors could fall off a roof. Each year there are 164,000 emergency room-treated injuries due to falling from a roof or ladder. To avoid this risk – or if you’ve had surveyors take unfortunate falls from a roof top in the past – you need to put drones in their hands. In the event of a surveyor getting injured and being unable to work, your business can fall behind behind on important projects and other financial issues such as medical care, workers’ compensation, and insurance premiums. In some cases, a fall could potentially end a surveyor’s career. Drones can help you avoid or eliminate those problems. A drone in the hands of a great inspector will help them do their job to the best of their abilities without putting them physical danger.
You Want to Build Trust with Your Customers
Using drone technology can give you detailed imagery before you even install solar panels. With the right software for solar surveys, an AI-powered algorithm can detect and document damage. This creates transparency in the process between you and your customer. If the homeowner has roofing issues unrelated to their solar panels, you have detailed evidence of the roof’s condition beforehand. If there was a problem caused by the panel installation, you can quickly resolve the issue. You can create trust by being honest with customers and drone tech keeps everyone in the loop. Customers will also notice that you’re using the latest technology, proving that you’re investing in the best for them. They also strike the right balance of getting your design team near-real-time data without climbing a roof.
Conclusion
Drones are securing their position as a valuable tool for solar site surveys. Regardless of your industry, you can take advantage of the benefits of drones. With drones, your solar roof surveys are precise, efficient, and safe. You also build a strong relationship built on a foundation of trust with your customers. Drones make it easy to include a homeowner in the process to avoid misunderstandings. Drone and solar technology complement each other well. Through innovation, the future of solar roof surveys is looking bright.
If you’re interested in adopting drones for your solar roof surveys, check out IMGING
