American company Percepto announced the completion of a proof-of-concept with the Electric Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) for the monitoring of a 250-acre floating solar farm.
By collaborating Thai drone consultancy and equipment provider Top Engineering Corp., Percepto’s solutions will enable autonomous routine inspections of panels and other equipment to ensure proper operation and detect anomalies.
The solar farm is one of the largest of its kind in the world, with a size of 70 soccer fields and comprising 145,000 solar panels floating over seven sections floating on buoys. The large size makes equipment inspection and maintenance unpractical. Staff would need to access the panel by boat, facing weather conditions such as extreme heat, rain, and fog.
Percepto’s drones will provide operations and maintenance reports, map the location of the panel, and perform inspections of the facilities. Remarkably, the inspection can be conducted remotely from Bangkok, which is more than 600 km away from the solar farm.
Connected to Thailand’s electrical grid in October 2021, the USD 34 million solar farm commits to achieve carbon neutral status by 2050 with 145,000 solar panels converting power from the sun during the day and energy from flowing water at night. Thailand intends to use more renewable energy sources and reduce its reliance on natural gas, which is the current largest source for electricity generation.
(Sources: PRNewswire; Solar Industry)
