Renewable energies, control of facilities with UAVs

UAVs include features and functionalities that are ideal to improve productivity in a wide variety of industries. The renewable energy generation industry, including facilities such as photovoltaic plants, hydroelectric power plants, and oil towers, is among the major beneficiaries of developments in this technology.

Use of UAVs in the generation of Renewable Energies

Renewable energy production coming from natural resources, such as photovoltaic plants, is daily increasing in importance in the energy balance. Interest in renewable energies and the optimization of these plants is increasing daily. Effective and rapid detection of cracks in solar panels reduces energy losses and repair and maintenance costs. UAVs perform periodic flights over photovoltaic plants for the early detection of breakage. UAVs can install multispectral and infrared cameras in order to apply thermovision techniques and infrared thermography to easily detect hot spots.

Regarding wind farms, UAVs can reduce maintenance costs for wind towers. Wind turbines require periodic and thorough visual inspection for analyzing the condition of blades and ensuring proper maintenance. With traditional means, it is necessary to invest a lot of time and resources in the maintenance of these facilities. Instead, a technical inspection with UAVs is done in a few minutes. Thus, UAVs increase efficiency in obtaining energy from wind farms and help to improve the safety of operators.

These advantages of the integration of UAVs in renewable energy power plants are possible through integration of Veronte Autopilot 1x in UAVs. Some advantages included in this advanced control system are:

• In photovoltaic plants, just mark the inspection area on a terrain map, and Veronte Autopilot 1x will automatically configure the flight pattern in order to inspect the full plant in detail.
• In wind turbine parks, planning the mission is as simple as selecting the location on the map for each wind tower. Veronte Autopilot 1x will autonomously set vertical spiral flights surrounding each tower. It makes it possible to obtain accurate images showing the status of towers, blades, and nacelles.