WIND TURBINE INSPECTIONS - DRONE METHOD VS. TRADITIONAL INSPECTIONS
TIME SAVINGS
COST SAVINGS
Results
By conducting an inspection of live assets, we eliminated the requirement for a shutdown. Typically, each WTG is required to be shutdown to enable a human inspection on the exterior of the WTG itself, which is both time-consuming and dangerous. In this case, the engineering firm decided to use drones to eliminate the need for a shutdown, however they underestimated the time it would take for them to utilize the drone effectively. Their upfront cost for the drone / insurance / training was not included in the cost analysis. Below are a series of images we captured for our client. They represent the type of technical inspection data that was outlined in the engagement contract.
The Sky Guys | Traditional | ||
---|---|---|---|
INSPECTION | Collecting raw site data for analysis. | 2 days on site. | 26 days on site. |
REQUIRED LABOR | Teams and expertise required for fulfillment. | 2-man team, pilot and sensor operator. | 3-man team, including pilot, sensor operator ground engineers. |
WTG SHUTDOWN | For measurement / analysis. | No shutdown required. | No shutdown required. |
PROJECT FULFILLMENT | Data capture, production of actionable data, delivery | Completed on-site. | Completed on-site. |
SAVINGS | 81% time savings and 71% cost savings, matching inspection-grade accuracy. |