Drones film solar panels over Leeds leisure spots

Sky Filming has sent a remote-controlled drone over Harry Booth House, John Charles Leisure Centre, John Smeaton Leisure Centre, Leeds Discovery Museum and Wetherby Leisure Centre during the last few weeks.

The firm was commissioned by energy efficiency specialists YES Energy Solutions to film a series of solar panels as Leeds City Council wanted to find out if any had been damaged.

Drone flyer Jason Malory said: “We always get a funny reaction when filming in towns and cities.

“People always do a double take when they spot the drone in the sky.

“They must think the aliens have landed.

“Drones are a great tool to use to film things like solar PV systems. It keeps costs down and you get a great bird’s eye view. Our clients can then inspect the videos and see if there is anything that needs rectifying.”

The project allowed quick access a clear day and somewhere to launch rather than workers having to put up scaffolding or use a crane.

The drones can fly for as long as 20 minutes.

Duncan McCombie, chief executive of YES Energy Solutions, said: “Having video footage is a great benefit as we can spend more time analysing each solar PV system to spot any defects rather than relying on a surveyor.

“Sometimes it is the littlest things which impact solar panels from working to their optimum efficiency.

“It could be shading from a tree that has grown over the last few years, or a small crack in one of the panels. These drone surveys are a great starting point to identify any problems so we can take the right course of action.”