Cyberhawk’s UAV pilots and industry engineers have been undertaking inspections and surveys in the renewables’ sector since 2012, supporting clients with wind-turbine and meteorological mast inspections and land surveys.
Cyberhawk Innovations has reported 12 months of success within its wind-power division based on impressive demand from domestic and international markets.
As a top global provider in aerial inspection and survey using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs or drones), Cyberhawk worked with 16 clients across the UK, Ireland, and Europe during 2016, and has inspected hundreds of wind turbine blades to date.
“Throughout 2016, we have seen the wind industry embrace our technology and take advantage of the benefits on offer, which include reduced safety risks, major cost savings, and improved inspection times,” said Chris Fleming, CEO at Cyberhawk.
Key milestones for Cyberhawk have included:
• Securing a global framework agreement with a large wind-turbine manufacturer
• A further framework agreement with one of the UK’s largest wind operators
• First inspection contract at an offshore wind farm outside the UK
• First contract to inspect an offshore transformer platform
• Inspection of multiple metrological masts, including at the Round 3 Dogger Bank offshore wind farm
iHawk asset management
In 2016, Cyberhawk completed a contract for wind energy operator, Engie. This project involved the inspection of the blades at multiple wind farms.
Integral to the success of this project was iHawk, Cyberhawk’s proprietary, cloud-based, asset management software. iHawk provides clients with the ability to quickly and easily view and understand the condition of their assets, backed up with high definition visual evidence of the complete blade and accurately sized, positioned and analyzed defects.
“Having trialled several different methods of the latest blade inspection technology, we have identified that drone inspections provide consistent, safe, and cost-effective results,” said Robert Cooper, Assistant Technical Engineer at Engie. “The iHawk platform is extremely intuitive, allowing us to make informed decisions on the future of our wind turbine blades.”
Headquartered in Livingston, Scotland, and with bases in Houston, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, Cyberhawk carried out the very first UAV industrial inspection in 2009 and since then, has completed more than 25 world firsts to date, with blue-chip customers in more than 20 countries on four continents.
“iHawk is a major part of our business model and has played a key role in our success in the renewables sector,” Fleming added. “By converting raw images captured by UAVs into powerful asset management information, reporting on iHawk provides operators with a highly advanced asset management solution.”
Filed Under: O&M, Offshore wind, Projects
