First-Ever DJI Dock (“Drone-in-a-Box”) Solar Farm Inspection Conducted in North America

May 3, 2023 - Dallas, TX - A long-term DJI end-user and multinational provider of electricity and gas, has collaborated with DJI, Raptor Maps, and UVT to conduct the first-ever utility-scale solar farm inspection in North America with the DJI Dock (also known as “drone-in-a-box” technology). The achievement marks a major milestone for both the solar and UAS industries, enabling the solar industry to take advantage of this game-changing new technology. 

The landmark inspection was conducted at a 181 MWdc solar site in Texas, demonstrating the Dock’s ability to facilitate inspections on a utility-scale site. 

DJI Dock and the M30T ready to deploy from the rooftop

DJI, a leader in enterprise drone solutions, developed the DJI Dock and Matrice 30T (M30T) Dock Version drone, while UVT, one of the largest North American drone & robotics end-to-end solutions providers, provided both the Dock and the deployment services for the testing. Raptor Maps, a leading provider of solar asset management software solutions, built the necessary mission planning software to direct the M30T drone to conduct the inspection. 

Drone-based aerial thermography has become the go-to method for inspecting utility-scale solar quickly, efficiently, and safely, but until now it has still required human intervention. Drone-in-a-box (DIAB) is ushering in a new era of automatic and easily repeatable inspections, made possible by recent advancements in hardware, software, and operational planning. 

DJI Dock control interface through FlightHub 2

“One of the exciting things about the solar industry is that we get to drive new technology forward, and building the software for this drone-in-a-box inspection marks a significant innovation that will help the industry scale,” said Raptor Maps Cofounder and CTO Eddie Obropta.

DIAB inspections allow for quicker identification and remediation of equipment-driven underperformance, which was found to have cost the solar industry $2.5B in lost revenue in 2022. Expediting inspections and repairs reduces safety hazards and fire risks, lowers costs for utilities and asset owners, and boosts revenue. 

“There are a lot of operational considerations, such as pilot access to the site, data offload, and on-site flight planning, that are simplified with the DJI Dock,” said Grant Hosticka, DJI’s Head of Enterprise Solutions Engineering, North America. “The Dock automates operations and allows for repeatable methods of data collection, which we believe will change the face of solar inspections.” 

Moreover, with automated, AI-directed drone flights, DIAB technology ensures power production is attained to its full potential – eliminating waste in the energy value chain, ensuring a more reliable flow of clean renewable energy, and ultimately furthering American energy security. 

“This is truly a groundbreaking use of drone technology for the solar industry, and UVT is excited to have provided the crucial operational support and personnel for the deployment of the DJI dock on site,” noted Chris Fink, Founder & CEO at UVT. 

About Raptor Maps

Raptor Maps is building solar’s integrated operating system, enabling the industry to scale and meet global climate goals. With intelligence for the entire solar industry, our solar lifecycle management platform (Raptor Solar) provides the tools and the system of record that asset owners, managers, O&M, developers, and EPCs need to build, maintain, and expand their solar plants. At the core of the platform are continuously evolving, geo-referenced digital twins of your solar assets, which integrate with the data sources you need to derive actionable insights. Raptor Solar bridges the gap between insight and action, improves asset health and power production, reduces risk, and ultimately increases the rate of return of solar assets. To learn more about Raptor Maps or to schedule a demo, contact us at raptormaps.com/contact.

About UVT 

UVT equips organizations nationwide with the latest in drone and robotics technology, training, and support. We partner with you to provide end-to-end turnkey solutions custom-tailored to your mission. Our comprehensive services include a diverse catalog of vetted enterprise hardware and software solutions, consultation, site surveys, installation, and education for seamless deployments. All of this backed by a suite of technical and operational fleet support services to help your organization maximize the benefits of our technology. To learn more, visit our website at www.uvt.us.