Zurich, Switzerland, 07 July 2019 – Sulzer & Schmid, a Swiss company pioneering UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) technology for wind rotor blade inspections, announced today that Vestas extends the use of its new DJI drone-based blade inspection technology to offer enhanced inspection services across the Asia-Pacific region. Sulzer & Schmid’s solution combines autonomous flight function, exceptionally high-resolution imaging, and an advanced software interface enabling Vestas to reduce blade inspection time and maximize turbine uptime.
To bring this new solution to the market, Sulzer & Schmid and DJI have combined their respective expertise to develop a new flight technology stack which enables the industrial grade UAV DJI Matrice 210 to autonomously inspect wind turbine blades.
The autonomous flight hardware and software are sub-components of the 3DXTM Inspection Platform of Sulzer & Schmid. This cutting-edge platform supports the entire inspection workflow which includes data capture, processing, and result exploration. The high-quality images captured by the drones are analysed aided by Artificial Intelligence, and data mining across entire wind energy portfolios are performed via Sulzer & Schmid’s proprietary 3DX™ Blade Health Platform.
“We are convinced that our 3DXTM Inspection Platform will make wind energy more cost effective, as it leads the way in providing the essential data foundation needed to optimize repair campaigns through predictive damage progression analytics.”, said Tom Sulzer, CEO of Sulzer & Schmid.
With this new technology, Vestas expands its existing expertise and offering for blade servicing and maintenance. Vestas has initially deployed the solution to interested customers in Australia and, will now be expanding the service to other countries in the Asia Pacific Region.
“At Vestas, we are constantly pushing the envelope to provide the most cost-efficient energy solutions to our customers. Partnering with Sulzer & Schmid and DJI for autonomous rotor blade inspections enables our in-house blade engineers to offer comprehensive and timely blade assessments, and therefore recommend more suitable repair solutions for the ultimate longevity of our customers’ assets.”, explained Clive Turton, President of Vestas Asia Pacific.
Drone technology has tremendous potential to drive digital transformation across a range of industries. “Vestas’ adoption of this new blade inspection technology is a perfect example to show how technology leaders can innovate together, and demonstrate the efficiency of autonomous aerial inspection technology in the wind energy industry and beyond”, concluded Jan Gasparic, Director of Strategic Partnerships at DJI Enterprise.
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Note to Editors
About Vestas
Vestas is the energy industry’s global partner on sustainable energy solutions. We design, manufacture, install, and service wind turbines across the globe, and with more than 102 GW of wind turbines in 80 countries, we have installed more wind power than anyone else. Through our industry-leading smart data capabilities and unparalleled more than 87 GW of wind turbines under service, we use data to interpret, forecast, and exploit wind resources and deliver best-in-class wind power solutions. Together with our customers, Vestas’ more than 24,500 employees are bringing the world sustainable energy solutions to power a bright future.
www.vestas.com
About Sulzer & Schmid Laboratories AG
Founded in 2015 by Tom Sulzer and Christof Schmid, Zurich-based Sulzer & Schmid is at the forefront of innovation in the energy service sector. Recognizing the potential for UAV technology to redefine industrial grade inspections, the company has developed an end-to-end technology platform that produces high-quality inspection results with ease – precisely, repeatably, efficiently. To date, more than 6’000 wind turbines in more than 20 countries worldwide have been inspected. www.sulzerschmid.com .
About DJI
DJI is a global leader in developing and manufacturing civilian drones and aerial imaging technology for personal and professional use. DJI was founded and is run by people with a passion for remote-controlled helicopters and experts in flight-control technology and camera stabilization. The company is dedicated to making aerial photography and filmmaking equipment and platforms more accessible, reliable and easier to use for creators and innovators around the world. DJI’s global operations currently span across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and its revolutionary products and solutions have been chosen by customers in over 100 countries for applications in filmmaking, construction, inspection, emergency response, agriculture, conservation and many other industries. For more information, visit www.dji.com
PRESS CONTACTS
For Sulzer & Schmid Laboratories AG: Jonathan Collings – Alesia Communications
jonathan@alesia-communications.com
Alesia Communications – The Renewable Energy PR & Marketing Expert