Hot spots
Concentrated heat from a shaded, soiled, or damaged cell. Left alone, hot spots cook the encapsulant and can permanently kill the panel.
the basics
What is a thermal solar inspection?
We use an infrared camera to scan your panels while they’re running.
If something’s starting to go bad, like a weak cell or overheating panel, it shows up on our thermal camera. You wouldn’t see it just looking at the roof, and most apps don’t catch it early.
Most panel failures start invisible. By the time your app shows it, you’ve already lost production.
"Thorough job inspecting all my panels including before/after thermal imaging — the best way to check if your panels are functioning well."
Ron P. · Google Review
how it works
How thermal cameras read solar panels.
Every object emits infrared radiation proportional to its temperature. An infrared camera measures that radiation and renders it as a false-color image, with hotter areas brighter and cooler areas darker.
- Panels must be under load and in direct sun — that's when defects reveal themselves
- We shoot from the roof, not the ground, so each module fills the frame and resolves cell-level detail
- Every flagged panel gets a matched visual photo so you see exactly which one we're talking about
- Reports are delivered the same day, straight to your phone
what we catch
Common issues thermal imaging identifies.
These are the failure modes we flag week after week on San Diego roofs — usually on systems the homeowner thought were running fine.
Failing & cracked cells
Microcracks that electrically isolate a cell show up as a bright, uniformly hot region. Catching them early means a warranty claim instead of a lost panel.
Damaged modules
Delamination, backsheet failure, and water ingress all change how heat dissipates across the module — visible on infrared long before output drops far enough to notice on your bill.
Faulty electrical connections
Loose MC4 connectors, corroded junction boxes, and bad optimizers radiate heat at the connection point. A 5-minute scan catches a problem that could otherwise go undetected.
Bypass diode failures
When a bypass diode fails short, an entire substring runs hot and underperforms. Infrared shows it instantly — multimeter testing usually doesn't.
Performance loss documentation
Every flagged issue is captured with date, panel location, and thermal image — the documentation manufacturers require to honor a warranty claim.
better together
Why cleaning and thermal inspection belong on the same visit.
Dirt hides defects
Heavy soiling creates its own hot spots that mask real cell damage. Scanning a dirty array gives you a false report — clean first, then scan.
Production losses get misdiagnosed
A 15% drop could be soiling, could be a dead panel, could be a bad optimizer. Cleaning + thermal in one visit gives you a true answer instead of a guess.
One trip, one price
Because we're already on the roof, there's no separate inspection fee, no second appointment, and no extra trip charge.
Real maintenance, not just curb appeal
Cleaning preserves output today. Thermal protects the warranty that backs the next 15 years of output. Together they're actual solar maintenance.
Saturn's Standard
Free with every Saturn maintenance plan.
Most companies charge $99–$199 for a thermal inspection alone.
We include it with every service—no add-on fees.
- Infrared thermal scan of every panel
- Hot-spot and dead-cell detection
- Before & After Photos
- Same-day delivery to your phone
- Included with every cleaning
real scans
Real thermal scans from San Diego roofs.
Every image below is from an actual Saturn Solar Cleaning inspection — no stock photos, no marketing renders.
Healthy panel
Hotspot streakMulti-cell hot spotsHealthy panelOverheating sectionOverheating sectionLearn more
Residential solar cleaning
Rooftop arrays for San Diego homes — cleaning + thermal in one visit.
Learn moreCommercial solar cleaning
Warehouse, retail, and HOA arrays — scheduled maintenance with full reporting.
Learn moreService plans
Biannual and quarterly plans — thermal inspection included every visit.
Learn morequestions, answered
Thermal inspection FAQ
What San Diego solar owners ask us about infrared thermal inspections.