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Solar Panel Thermal Inspection Report Example

Opening sections, freeWritten from 03 Solar PV thermal inspection

This is a worked example, not a real survey. Every name, address and finding is invented. It shows how the template reads once the placeholders are filled in and the guidance notes are deleted.

Solar PV Thermal Inspection

Dobrich Solar Park, blocks A-F

Report referenceAER-2026-207
ClientMeridian Renewables Asset Management
SiteDobrich Solar Park, Dobrich Province, Bulgaria
System1.8 MWp ground-mount, 4,140 modules, 12 blocks
Module typeTrina Vertex S, 435 Wp
Date of survey22 June 2026
Surveyed byA. Petrov, operator BGR-OP-4471

1. Executive summary

2,070 modules of 4,140 were inspected by aerial infrared thermography on 22 June 2026, covering blocks A to F. 31 thermal anomalies were identified, affecting 1.9% of inspected modules.

ClassAnomaliesModules affectedEst. affected capacity
String / combiner outage24419.1 kWp
Module - multiple cells / bypass diode662.6 kWp
Single cell hotspot1919Localised
Soiling or shading412-

Principal recommendation. Investigate the two string outages first. Together they account for 19.1 kWp that has not produced since the last inverter log reviewed. Both are more likely to be a combiner-level fault than module failure.

2. Scope

Aerial infrared thermographic survey of blocks A to F of the PV array, to identify thermal anomalies indicative of underperformance.

Carried out in general accordance with IEC 62446-3 - outdoor infrared thermography of PV modules and plants.

Not within scope: electrical testing, IV curve tracing, electroluminescence, insulation resistance, inverter or SCADA data review, structural or civil condition.

A worked finding, from later in the report

PV-01 - String outage, Block CS2
LocationBlock C, row 14, string C-14-03, modules 1-22
ObservationWhole string uniformly elevated by approx. 12 K relative to neighbouring strings. Pattern consistent with an open circuit or tripped protection rather than module failure.
Estimated effectapprox. 9.6 kWp not producing
RecommendationCheck combiner box C-14 fusing and string isolation before inspecting individual modules.
EvidenceIR_0231 / VIS_0232

The rest of this report

The sections below are in the full document, which ships as an editable .docx and a finished PDF inside the pack.

  • 3. Limitations
  • 4. Method and conditions
  • Severity scale
  • 5. Findings
  • 6. Anomaly schedule
  • 7. Recommended actions
  • Appendix A - Image index
  • Appendix B - Operator details
When would I send this?

Straight after the survey, to the O&M contractor or asset manager who will actually act on it - not to the site owner alone. Timing matters more here than on other jobs: a thermal anomaly only means something against the irradiance and load at the moment of the flight, so a report that lands weeks later is far harder to act on. Tie every anomaly to a string and an inverter, and the next visit is a repair rather than a second inspection.