UAVs include features and functionalities which are ideal to improve productivity in a wide variety of industries. The renewable energies generation industry, including facilities such as: photovoltaic plants, hydroelectric power plants, oil towers, are among the major beneficiaries of developments in this technology.
Use of UAVs in the generation of Renewable Energies
Renewable energies production coming from natural resources, such as in 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 reduce 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 analysing the condition of blades and ensure a 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 energies power plants are possible through integration of Autopilot Veronte 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 will automatically configure the flight pattern in order to inspect the full plant in detail.
- In wind turbines parks, planning the mission is as simple as selecting the location on the map for each wind tower. Veronte Autopilot will autonomously set vertical spiral flights surrounding each tower. It makes possible to obtain accurate images showing the status of tower, blades and nacelle.