In the third quarter of 2026, a report released by a research institute showed that the global solar PV O&M market grew 18% year over year, with intelligent cleaning equipment and drone inspection services becoming the main drivers of growth. The report noted that as the installed base of power plants worldwide expands, demand for intelligent cleaning equipment with high reliability and low O&M costs continues to rise.

This shift signals that the O&M needs created by the expanding installed base are opening up growth opportunities for intelligent equipment and inspection services. Cleaning and inspection have both become major growth drivers, indicating that this round of market growth spans different operational areas and cannot be explained solely by rising demand for a single type of equipment.

For intelligent cleaning equipment, it is worth looking at the criteria behind rising demand: high reliability and low O&M costs need to go hand in hand. Whether equipment can carry out cleaning tasks consistently, and how much maintenance resources it requires in use, may influence purchasing decisions by power plant operators. Therefore, whether expanding market demand translates into sustained procurement will still depend on the equipment’s performance in actual operation and its ability to control costs.

At the same time, overall market growth of 18% year over year does not mean that intelligent cleaning equipment and drone inspection services each achieved the same growth rate, nor does it support the conclusion that all O&M businesses grew in tandem. Going forward, it will be worth tracking the specific growth contribution of each of these two business areas, as well as the actual performance of intelligent cleaning equipment in maintaining reliable operation and reducing O&M costs. This information will help assess the structure and sustainability of this growth.