INSPIRATION
Production and process efficiency proves to be a major hurdle in harnessing renewable energy.Robotics enables accuracy and optimum utilization of resources to overcome this challenge.For example,automated solar panels orient themselves to maximize energy conversion. Equipment automation also expedites the maintenance processes while reducing the need for human work. Drone inspection and robotics-based automatic operations and maintenance (O&M) handle dangerous repetitive work, thereby improving safety and productivity. An example of this is the use of drones
based on phased array ultrasonic imaging to hastily detect internal or external damages on large wind turbines. Drones further enable the creation of digital site twins and 3D maps through imaging and elevation data calculation.
Indian startup Greenleap Robotics develops an autonomous cleaning robot for solar panels. The startup’s robot,Lotus A4000, uses ultra-soft microfiber cloth for removing dust and debris thereby enabling water-less cleaning. It also traverses misalignments among solar panels resulting in an improved cleaning range. Besides, centralized control facilitates predictive maintenance and self-charging for the robot.
Greenleap Robotics enables large-scale solar plants to automate their labor-intensive work while being able to control and monitor it remotely.
SupAirVision is a French startup that provides digitized wind blade diagnostics. The startup’s software tools, Sherlock and Volta, use AI to detect defects on the blades and diagnose the lightning paths of the blades, respectively. Another software tool, Clarity, also detects the structural defects inside the blade. Together, these provide accurate, safe, and precise diagnostics, thus reducing wind turbine downtime. The technology benefits utility-scale wind turbine farms by offering scalable management solutions with minimum staff requirements.
