No longer brand new, drones and robots are a big piece of the green energy transition. 

Both autonomous and piloted drones and robots are helping energy companies with tasks from inspections and offshore data collection to mapping and maintenance. 

The industry continues to work toward more cost-effective solutions and being better able to use the vast amounts of data collected with drones and robots. 

Many manufacturers and vendors are working to offer streamlined solutions for energy asset owners interested in deploying drone programs. For example, providers are working toward “Drones-in-a-Box” that can be deployed quickly and remotely on energy asset sites like solar farms, wind farms, oil rigs, and more.

On solar farms especially, Drones-in-a-Box can help save time and money as well as improve safety—both in daily operations and after severe weather. 

Currently, most solar farms perform inspections manually. They’re a time- and labor-intensive process when done manually, but delaying damage identification and maintenance can cost even more. 

Drones are being deployed on solar farms to inspect for panel damage, component issues, and thermal anomalies. Unpiloted drones can inspect solar farms faster, more frequently and more safely than humans. Data collected and analyzed by the drones can be used to focus expert human labor on areas in need of closer inspection and/or repair. 

By allowing solar farms and other energy assets to be inspected more frequently, drones can help improve safety, inform predictive maintenance, save time and money, and help prevent major issues that might lead to downtime. 

Learn more about drones and robotics in the energy transition in the Renewable Energy Robotics track at the 2023 Energy Drone & Robotics Summit, June 12-14, 2023, in Houston, TX.