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Drones have revolutionized the way inspections are conducted, making them faster, safer and more efficient. Whether you’re looking to inspect solar cells, bridges, roofs, gutters, towers, pipelines, agriculture (crops), chimneys, or any other home inspections, there’s a drone out there that can fit your needs.
Manual inspections are such a pain but having a good drone makes any kind of inspection easier.
With a plethora of options available, it can be overwhelming to choose the right one. This article will guide you through the best drones for solar inspections, taking into consideration factors such as durability, stability, camera quality, and flight time.
Best Drone for Solar Inspections
Drones provide a faster, safer, and more cost-effective solution for inspections compared to traditional methods. But if you don’t follow the rules and instructions before flying any drone you have purchased, you may either lose your drone or crash it somewhere. This is what most people do and then they blame the drone companies.
Let’s check out the best Drone for solar Inspections.
1. Potensic ATOM SE GPS Drone for Inspection
| Brand | Potensic |
| Transmission Distance | 4 Km/13,123 ft |
| Video Resolution | 4K UHD |
| Flight Time | 62 minutes (2 batteries) |
| FOV | 118° |
| Drone Dimensions | 11.8″L x 9.5″W x 2.28″H |
Potensic ATOM SE GPS Drone is one of the best drones for solar panel inspections. The maximum height of compliance is 120m but the drone company can open up higher height limits.
It is better to fly the drone in obstacle free areas. The drone can reach the max straight-line distance of 4km, and it will be blocked to be hovering at the distance of 4KM.
What we like
- Very stable in the wind.
- Press the find drone function in the app if the drone is lost.
- Drone will not put any drain on your smart phone.
- Supports optical flow positioning, follow me function, headless mode, and 4,608 x 2,592 photo resolution.
- You can fly a Drone without any license.
What we Didn’t like
- No obstacle sensing / Collision avoidance.
- Not for rain. Not waterproof drone.
2. Holy Stone 2-Axis Gimbal GPS Drone, Drone for solar Inspections, Drone for Roof Inspections
| Brand | Holy Stone |
| Flight Distance | 3277 FT |
| Video Resolution | 4K UHD |
| Flight Time | 26 minutes |
| Transmission Distance | 1640 FT |
| Drone Dimensions | 14.37″L x 14.37″W x 2.76″H |
Holy Stone 2-Axis Gimbal GPS Drone is one of the best drones for roofs, gutters, leaking chimneys, and buildings inspection. This drone is packed with lots of features. The video quality is great and we love how smooth the camera angle adjustment is.
The drone battery life is average and it takes about 5 hours to fully charge the battery. You need to buy a separate battery because the drone comes with only one battery. This drone is known to handle a reasonable amount of wind and it stays stable and does not wobble. It is One of the best inspection drones under $300.
What we like
- On losing the connection between the drone and your radio, the drone will enter an automatic return to home mode. This will bring the drone back to its origin point.
- Drone has 5x zoom camera capability.
- The headless mode is a great feature and is very usable while using the remote control.
- It is an affordable inspection drone.
- The controller is well built and very responsive.
What we Didn’t like
- A Mirco SD card is not included and neither are the batteries.
3. DJI Mini 3 Pro (DJI RC) Drone, Drone for Solar Inspections, Drone for Inspections, Best Inspection Drone
| Brand | DJI |
| Color | Grey |
| Video Resolution | 4K |
| Flight Time | 34 minutes |
| Transmission Distance | 12 Km |
| Drone Dimensions | 9.65″L x 6.73″W x 2.44″H |
DJI Mini 3 Pro (DJI RC) Drone is the best drone for overhead inspections. Use it for any type of inspection such as roof, home, antenna, gutter, crop, or tower, etc. Its ambient artificial light makes things clear at night for you. The high-resolution screen of the RC is a big plus point of this drone.
There are green strobes lights on the front propeller arms which automatically turns off once we start recording the video. Whether you use it indoors or outdoors, this DJI drone stays stable and quiet. Obstacle avoidance works great in the daytime and the joystick is very easy to use. DJI Mini 3 Pro (DJI RC) is one of the best inspection drones under $1000.
What we like
- Excellent range and camera quality.
- Battery life is good. It’s according to the price point.
- No need to use your phone as a display with DJI RC model.
- It’s portable, foldable, and light design.
- Hardly disturbed by strong winds. So, winds are not going to stop you from inspecting.
What we Didn’t like
- DJI Mini 3 Pro (DJI RC) Drone is expensive.
- No active-tracking on a moving target.
- Decent night vision in low-light situations.
4. Holy Stone HS700E 4K UHD Drone, Drone for Bridge Inspections, Drone for Solar Inspections
| Brand | Holy Stone |
| Lens | FOV 130° |
| Video Resolution | 4K UHD |
| Flight Time | 23 Minutes |
| Transmission Distance | 2624-3277 Feet |
| Drone Dimensions | 14.96″L x 9.06″W x 4.92″H |
Holy Stone HS700E 4K UHD Drone is a nice budget drone to take pictures of farms, bridges, roofs, etc. Anyone can fly this drone easily with its beginner mode. It takes smooth steady pictures and video. You may experience a slight communication lag time between the remote and the drone, but it’s completely normal.
The drone has buttons which will take care of the landing and takeoff process. The drone can run with or without the remote using the app on your phone. All you need is strong Wi-Fi to control it with the app. This 700E drone is the best drone for beginners and for inspections. It won’t break the bank.
What we like
- The built in GPS is a nice feature for drone stability
- Easy to learn and navigate.
- Makes great videos even in low light conditions.
- Brushless motor runs quiet and powerfully while inspecting.
What we Didn’t like
- It comes with just one battery.
- Like most drones it takes 5 hours to charge.
5. Ruko F11GIM Drone for Adults, Best Drone for Solar Inspections, Drone for Crop Inspections
| Brand | Ruko |
| Lens | 100° FOV |
| Video Resolution | 4K UHD |
| Flight Time | 56 minutes |
| Transmission Distance | 3937 FT |
| Drone Folding Dimensions | 7.48″L x 4.13″W x 3.15″H |
Ruko F11GIM Drone is the advanced inspection drone on our list. The drone comes with various different modes i.e. follow me, rotate around, and waypoint modes. With the help of the camera gimbal, you can get different shots from various angles. The drone works really well in gusty conditions. Keep the remote and batteries charged if you want to use this drone for a long time.
What we love about this Ruko drone is its battery life, super comfortable controller, wheel at the top of the camera to zoom in/rotate camera, and its good storage case. It is One of the great drones that stays stable in the midair until the next command is given. Great value for money without any doubt.
What we like
- It comes with 3 speed modes right on the controller.
- It has a beginner mode that limits the drone to 30m altitude and 30m distance.
- Solid drone arms to stand the impact.
- Image follow function is great option.
- Easy to read the screen in sunlight.
- App will give voice alerts if battery gets low or drone gets out of distance.
What we Didn’t like
- No collision avoidance feature.
Conclusion: Best Drone for Solar Inspections
The drones we reviewed in this article are unique in their own way. They are all solid drones that will stand the impact and windy weather with ease. The way they stay stable in the air is really impressive. If you want to look for a long flight time in the drone, go for Ruko F11GIM Drone and Potensic ATOM SE GPS Drone for solar Inspection.
And if you are looking for collision avoidance feature in the drone, go for DJI Mini 3 Pro (DJI RC) Drone. And if you are a beginner and just looking for a budget drone, go for Holy Stone 2-Axis Gimbal GPS Drone.
These drones will not only inspect roofs but also buildings, towers, crops, chimneys, etc. in every way. So, make a move and invest your hard-earned money in the right inspecting drone.