Scaling Success:
A Journey to Smarter Solar Monitoring

Overview

Our client is a leading global developer, contractor, and operator of large-scale solar projects exceeding 150 MW across expansive sites. As project sizes grew, the team faced challenges in tracking and addressing site issues efficiently. To overcome these challenges, they partnered with Above Surveying to integrate the SolarGain platform into their operations, specifically leveraging its inspection and task management tools.

CHALLENGES

Site Size and Navigation: With solar sites now spanning hundreds of acres and involving thousands of modules, identifying and revisiting specific problem areas is increasingly difficult. Brian, Product Engineer, explained, “Our plant sizes nowadays are hundreds and hundreds of acres, and it’s all the same thing everywhere you look. Just locating the right module can be very hard”

Manual, Paper-Based Processes: The reliance on paper checklists for site inspections resulted in inefficiencies, lack of traceability, and difficulty in communicating issues effectively to field teams. They often experienced delays and frustration when trying to locate previously identified issues on-site.

Scaling Challenges: As project sizes increased to over 150 MW, maintaining high-quality installations while addressing issues quickly became a significant operational hurdle.

Limited Oversight: Paper-based processes also limited visibility for office-based staff, making it difficult to monitor site progress or identify recurring issues across projects.

SOLUTION

They partnered with Above Surveying to adopt the SolarGain platform, which brings powerful tools and integrations to their workflow:

Digital Task Management: SolarGain’s task list functionality replaces paper checklists, enabling streamlined communication and full traceability of remediation work.

Integrated IR Scanning: Infrared (IR) scanning tools identify anomalies, such as hail-damaged modules, which are then seamlessly assigned as tasks within SolarGain.

Collaborative Features: Field teams can document completed tasks with photos, ensuring verification and accountability.

“SolarGain has transformed how we manage tasks on-site. From the office, we can monitor progress and address recurring issues more effectively. Above Surveying’s responsiveness and willingness to adapt the platform to our needs have been key to this partnership’s success.”

Brian, Product Engineer

Aerial view of a large solar panel farm with multiple rows of blue solar panels on green grass, alongside a railway track and a gravel path with some trees scattered around.

KEY OUTCOMES

Implementing SolarGain resulted in transformative improvements across their solar operations:

  • Improved Efficiency and Traceability: Tasks are now tracked in real-time, with full accountability from identification to resolution. The digital system has eliminated the inefficiencies and frustrations of paper-based workflows. “It’s definitely gotten easier to navigate tasks with our team,” Brian noted.

  • Enhanced Operational Oversight: Office-based staff have gained greater visibility into site activities, enabling them to track recurring issues, evaluate progress, and identify opportunities for design improvements. “The visibility SolarGain provides from the office is invaluable. It allows us to track issues and improve our designs to mitigate future challenges,” said Brian.

  • Data-Driven Decision Making: By analyzing trends in the issues logged, the engineering team can proactively address design challenges. For example, identifying recurring racking or module issues has allowed the team to make targeted improvements to the working processes and their products.

  • Optimised Remediation Process: By integrating IR scanning and task management, they can pinpoint anomalies with precision and ensure timely remediation, reducing downtime and maintaining asset performance.

  • Supportive Collaboration: Above Surveying’s responsiveness to feedback has strengthened the partnership. “We evaluated other platforms, but the collaborative approach from Above stood out. The ability to tailor the tool to our use case has been a big positive.”

FUTURE PLANS WITH ABOVE

While they are currently focusing on task management and IR scanning tools, they see potential in expanding their use of Above Surveying’s services, particularly for construction monitoring. Brian explained, “For sites where we contract out a lot of the labor, this would be a helpful tool to track progress and ensure installations align with specifications.”

CONCLUSION

The client’s adoption of Above Surveying’s SolarGain platform has significantly transformed how they manage their large-scale solar projects. By replacing outdated paper-based processes with an integrated digital solution, they have enhanced operational efficiency, improved traceability, and gained valuable insights to refine their system designs. The combination of advanced IR scanning, real-time task management, and collaborative support from Above Surveying has empowered them to address challenges effectively, ensuring their projects remain on track and of the highest quality.

As it continues to expand its project portfolio, the collaboration with Above Surveying positions it to optimise performance, reduce downtime, and maintain its leadership in delivering world-class solar energy solutions.