Power & Utilities Drone Inspection Services

The drone services offered by Gulfnet utilise thermal imaging to detect cell-level failures invisible during visual inspection, including bypass diode malfunctions causing entire substring losses, junction box overheating indicating connection resistance, and micro-cracking reducing module efficiency progressively. We identify soiling patterns of certain array sections and quantify the generation losses and optimize the cleaning schedule. Thermal surveys identify failure of inverter cooling systems, hot spots in combiner boxes, and tracker misalignment issues that affect the yield issue. Our analysis correlates thermal anomalies with electrical performance data, distinguishing manufacturing defects warranting replacement from maintenance-addressable issues. Inspection frequency recommendations align with warranty requirements and performance guarantee verification needs.

Under ideal conditions, one drone team is capable of inspecting 20 – 30 megawatts of solar capacity per day – the equivalent of manual inspection time and crews of 2 – 3 weeks. For a typical 200MW solar farm, the complete thermal and visual assessment is completed in 7-10 days inclusive of data processing and defect reporting. Autonomous flight planning allows for maximum coverage efficiency and consistent image quality and overlap requirements. Weather-dependent operations in the GCC have the advantage of year-round flyable weather outside of summer peak heat hours. Rapid deployment capability enables performance verification to be done immediately after commissioning or after weather events which may cause hail damage, speeding up the insurance claims and warranty processes considerably.

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Our industrial-grade drone platforms have the operational capability in temperatures up to 50 degree Celcius with special cooling systems and sealing to resist dust. We provide critical inspections on optimal weather windows to keep the service available year round. Light to moderate dust conditions do not prevent operations but severe sandstorms temporarily ground flights which follow standard aviation safety protocols. Thermal inspection specifically benefits from GCC conditions – high ambient temperatures enhance thermal contrast between healthy and defective equipment, resulting in better defect detection accuracy. Solar panel inspections take place during the morning hours when the thermal signatures remain distinct prior to the peak heating during the day when temperature differences across modules become equal.

Each inspection delivers geo-referenced defect reports with severity classification, recommended actions and repair cost estimates tied to utility maintenance planning cycles. Gulfnet Insight exports data to SAP, Maximo, PowerPlan, and other CMMS platforms using either API integration or standard file formats. Solar farm report module level defect mapping string and inverter correlation O&M dispatch Transmission inspection deliverables are referenced to numbers of structures, phases, and components in accordance with your asset registry. We are providing KML files for GIS integration, trend analysis for comparing the intervals of inspection and dashboard visualization for tracking the condition of the assets over time. Custom reporting templates are used for specific regulatory filing requirements and internal governance requirements.

Utility clients typically achieve 50-70% cost reduction compared to conventional inspection approaches while increasing frequency and data quality. Transmission Line Inspection by helicopter costs anywhere between $1500-2500 per kilometer whereas with drones you get the same service at a fraction of the total cost with better image resolution and documentation of defects. Solar farm thermal surveys which traditionally require manual inspection teams at $0.05 – 0.08 per watt cost about $0.02 – 0.03 per watt using drone technology. Substation inspections that remove outage requirements result in thousands in lost transmission revenue and interruption costs to customers. Beyond direct reduction in expenses, drones allow condition-based maintenance strategies to prevent failures – a single failure of a transformer justifies the costs of annual inspection programs. We offer upfront transparent per asset pricing with volume discounts for portfolio contracts for multiple facilities.