Engineering news
Unmanned aerial vehicle services firm Strat Aero has won a contract to inspect turbines at a wind farm in Kansas in the US, in a deal it describes as a significant breakthrough into a lucrative market.
The deal is the first wind inspection and data analysis contract won by the Gatwick-based company, which hopes to become a major player in the growing market to use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for monitoring and inspection of industrial assets.
Strat Aero will initially inspect 53 turbines in two of five fields operated by US energy provider Westar at a rate of six turbines per day.
Although the contract is worth just £18,000, Strat Aero said that there is scope to extend the contract to include the other 259 turbines on the Westar site. The company said it views the contract as “proof of concept” and that it intends to use it as a “springboard” to win other turbine inspection deals in the US.
Tony Dunleavy, chief executive of Strat Aero, said: "This agreement signals a breakthrough for Strat Aero into a significant and potentially lucrative market.
"This initial phase of our relationship, which will see the inspection of 53 turbines, has already commenced and once again, the efficiency and functionality of drones have been clearly demonstrated.
With eight turbines being successfully inspected every day, a 33% increase on the amount originally envisaged, this increased performance will help enhance the financial efficiencies of the contract.
Previously, operators were able to inspect two turbines a day using manual-led techniques. In addition, the data gathered by the UAVs will be analysed and stored using proprietary software, and made available to the wind farm operators to improve maintenance.
A report published by Navigant Research in 2014 predicts that the market for the inspection of wind turbines using UAVs will reach £4.2 billion by 2024.
Westar Energy generates over 7,000 MW of electricity and serving nearly 700,000 customers in much of east and east-central Kansas.