DJI Enterprise Drones in Wind

Drone inspections are helping the renewable energy industry become faster, cheaper, and more efficient.

With the growth of wind power, drones are increasingly being used to scan wind turbines for defects and damage. With turbine repair being incredibly expensive, as much as P2,000,000.00 per turbine per year, coupled with the loss of revenue from days of inactivity due to damage, early inspection and analysis are essential.

Traditionally, wind energy site managers have had to employ two methods of inspection; rope access or platforms and ground-based inspection, whereby a photographer uses a telephoto lens to capture the images of the blades from the ground.

Meanwhile, rope access has a high-risk factor, and the insurance costs make it expensive. It is also a lengthy process with a full inspection of a single wind turbine taking 3 to 6 hours. This is on top of various safety checks and preparation time. Ground-based inspections often produce poor results due to the fast-moving blades. With inspections required 2-3 times a year for every turbine, costs can become very high.

This is where drones come into play. For example, DJI’s wind-resistant, RTK drones only take 45 minutes to fully inspect one turbine. The drone can be flown manually or using an automated mission flight and can be deployed within minutes, leaving the technicians safely on the ground.

Being wind-resistant, DJI’s RTK module on the Matrice 350 is the perfect solution for inspecting turbines in often adverse environmental conditions. The drone is able to carry several payloads, including the Zenmuse H20 and H30 Series, which gives the operator the ability to get incredibly detailed close-up views. Using the H20T’s thermal sensor, a blade’s thermal profile can be captured in order to identify signs of delamination or water damage.

To learn more about how drone inspection of wind turbines is improving efficiency and reliability, please contact us.