DJI, Raptor Maps y Unmanned Vehicle Technologies (UVT)

A long-time DJI user and multinational electricity and gas provider collaborated with DJI, Raptor Maps and UVT to conduct the first utility-scale solar farm inspection in North America using DJI Dock (also known as “drone-in-a-box” technology). This achievement marks an important milestone for both the solar and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) industries, as it allows the solar business to take advantage of this revolutionary new technology.

This historic inspection was conducted at a 181 MWdc solar site in Texas, demonstrating Dock’s ability to facilitate inspections at a utility-scale site.

Dock Solar Inspection – Dock on the roof 2The DJI Dock and M30T ready for rooftop deployment

DJI, a leader in enterprise drone solutions, developed the DJI Dock and the Matrice 30T (M30T) Dock version drone, while UVT, one of North America’s largest providers of end-to-end drone and robotics solutions, provided both the Dock and implementation services for testing. Raptor Maps, a leading provider of solar asset management software solutions, created the mission planning software required to direct the M30T drone during the inspection.

Dock Solar Inspection – Dock on the roof 2The DJI Dock and M30T ready to be operated from the rooftop

DJI, a leader in enterprise drone solutions, developed the DJI Dock and the Matrice 30T (M30T) Dock version drone, while UVT, one of North America’s largest providers of end-to-end drone and robotics solutions, provided both the Dock and implementation services for testing. Raptor Maps, a leading provider of solar asset management software solutions, created the mission planning software required to direct the M30T drone during the inspection.

Dock Solar Inspection – Dock on the roof

Aerial thermography with drones has become the preferred method for quickly, efficiently and safely inspecting utility-scale solar installations, but, until now, it still required human intervention. Drone-in-a-box (DIAB) technology is ushering in a new era of automated and easily repeatable inspections, thanks to recent advances in hardware, software and operational planning.

Dock Solar Inspection – FlightHub 2 screenshotDJI Dock control interface through FlightHub 2

“One of the most exciting things about the solar industry is that we can drive new technologies, and creating the software for this ‘drone-in-a-box’ inspection is a significant innovation that will help the industry grow,” says Eddie Obropta, co-founder of Dock Solar Inspection.