Mallon has been detecting wildfires and mapping burn scars across Ireland since 2017. Over time, however, we began to notice an increase in false–positive detections in our wildfire monitoring workflows.
Mallon colleague Sandra Molloy investigated and revealed an unexpected culprit: solar farms.
Detecting Solar Farms with Earth Observation
As solar energy infrastructure has expanded across Ireland, large solar installations have increasingly appeared in satellite–based fire detection outputs. In response, we developed a cross–application capable of identifying solar farms alongside active wildfires and burn scars. This enhancement has significantly improved detection accuracy while unlocking a valuable additional dataset. To date, Mallon has identified more than 2,500 hectares of solar farms across Ireland.
Solar farms can generate thermal anomalies that are detectable by the VIIRS and MODIS sensors, the same sensors we use to identify active wildfires. While these thermal signals can initially resemble fire activity, careful analysis allows us to distinguish between genuine fire events and persistent heat signatures associated with solar installations.
In addition to thermal data, solar farms also exhibit visual characteristics similar to burn scars when analysed using a short–wave infrared false colour composite (SWIR FCC). This imagery is routinely used for burn scar mapping, but it is also highly effective for identifying solar farms, as illustrated below.
Burn scar viewed using SWIR FCC
Solar Panels viewed using SWIR FCC
By adapting our wildfire detection tools to account for these similarities, we not only reduced false positives but also strengthened our understanding of how renewable energy infrastructure appears in Earth Observation data, demonstrating how satellite analytics can evolve alongside changing land use patterns.
Further Information
For further information about the methods used to produce the study and maps above, or to discuss your Earth Observation requirements, contact us below.
