Move over drones, could airplanes be the next big thing for site inspections? PES had a conversation with Wesii CEO, Mauro Migliazzi to find out why he believes the advantages of this solution will forever change the way the solar industry inspects PV plants.
PES: A very warm welcome back to PES Solar Mauro, it’s great to catch up with you. I trust business has been good since we last spoke?
Mauro Migliazzi: Yes, it’s always a pleasure. Thanks for having me. I’m happy to report back and say that business has been great and we have a lot of exciting things happening at Wesii this year.
PES: When we spoke last year you were preparing for the exciting launch of your first fly-it-yourself PV plant inspections. Could you just give us a recap on this for readers who might have missed it?
MM: Absolutely. Earlier this year we launched our newest product, EliosField Dronino, which allows clients to perform what we like to call, Fly-It-Yourself inspections. These inspections aren’t intended to inspect the entire plant, but instead to utilize it as an add-on tool in between the routine yearly inspections, to check up on already identified anomalies and maintenance controls. An added benefit of this tool is that the client is able to collect more data than has ever been possible before and aid in our progress towards predictive analysis, which requires big data.
PES: Great, thanks for the recap. Furthermore, you published a dedicated article earlier this year on your new method of photovoltaic plant inspections by airplane. In terms of MWs, can you give us an idea of how much you have flown with airplane inspections to date?
MM: Yes, exactly, after conducting our research and tests in 2020, we decided to move forward this year by bringing the airplane inspections to the European market, launching it in a new direction. By June we had already flown and inspected 0.6GW and we are continuing to fly in Europe for the remainder of the summer.
