Thermal camera for solar panel inspection

Short answer

Thermal imaging can reveal relative hot spots while an array is operating, but angle, reflection, load, wind and irradiance affect the result.

A practical workflow

1. Inspect under stable useful sunlight and load.
2. Use a viewing angle that reduces reflected sky and sun.
3. Compare modules, cells and connections under like conditions.

Common mistakes

• Working at height without controls
• Scanning unloaded panels
• Calling every reflection a hot cell

Choosing a camera for this job

Start with native IR resolution, thermal sensitivity, field of view and focus. Close electronics work often needs macro or manual focus; broad building scans benefit from a useful field of view and enough native pixels to resolve an anomaly from a safe distance. Compatibility and reporting workflow matter as much as the headline detector specification.