Drones take off in wind sector
Aerial inspection company Cyberhawk has reported strong growth in the last 12 months following "impressive" demand from the wind sector.
1st February 2017 by Networks
Cyberhawk uses drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles, to remotely inspect assets, backed up by its cloud-based asset management software iHawk.
Alongside securing several global framework agreements with wind turbine manufacturers, the company also secured its first contract to inspect an offshore transformer platform.
Energy networks are starting to explore the possibility of utilising drones to perform ‘beyond visual line of sight’ inspections instead of traditional methods to increase efficiency and minimise disruption to customers.
The Energy Innovation Centre (EIC) today announced a collaboration between energy networks and the Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority to drive the adoption of drones by energy networks.
Cyberhawk’s chief executive Chris Fleming said: “Throughout 2016 we have seen the industry embrace our technology and take advantage of the benefits on offer, which include reduced safety risks, major cost savings and improved inspection times.
“iHawk is a major part of our business model and has played a key role in our success in the renewables sector. By converting raw images captured by UAVs into powerful asset management information, reporting on iHawk provides operators with a highly advanced asset management solution.”
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