drones

Operations and maintenance will face huge changes as automation and predictive analytics transform the way projects are managed, writes Sean Rai-Roche.

Aerial imaging company DroneBase has acquired India-based AirProbe, a provider of artificial intelligence-enabled analytics of solar inspection data.

UK-based solar PV inspection and data analytics company Above details how its ‘Follow PV’ project, launched alongside the University of Essex, is enhancing the research and development of autonomous drone technology in utility-scale solar.

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles in solar operations and maintenance can reduce costs and save hours of painstaking labour, but only if applied correctly. Aline Kirsten Vidal de Oliveira, Mohammadreza Aghae and Ricardo Rüther explore the optimal use of aerial inspections and emerging methods for analysing the data they gather to identify faults.

Construction kick-off of Atacama’s 382MW Campos del Sol sees firm hit fresh Latin American PV milestone, days after making progress with 608MW complex in Brazil.

DNV GL says solar industry most advanced energy sector to drive digital transformation, Canadian Solar secures US$50 million term loan from Credit Suisse, Energix plans US$120 million module deal with First Solar.

In part II of PV Tech’s interview with Vikas Bansal, Head of Business Development - International Solar at Sterling & Wilson Solar, one of the world's largest PV EPC firms, we discuss how installers are having to adapt to new technologies in the realm of PV modules, balance of system, robotics and energy storage.

SolAero Technologies is developing thin-film technology for the US Navy's solar drone programme, as previously explored on PV Tech. In a follow-up piece, Edgar A. Gunther gets more details from the firm and explores the current price points for high-performance cells.

The US subsidiary of Enel Green Power has teamed with start-up Raptor Maps, Inc., to integrate the use of drones in inspecting PV power plants, while providing immediate data through an AI (artificial intelligence) machine learning algorithm to improve O&M (Operations and Management).