Revolutionising Wind Turbine Inspections in South Africa
At Darkwing Aerials, we continually push the boundaries of drone technology. Our latest achievement is the implementation of a fully automated wind turbine inspection process that sets new standards for efficiency and precision in South Africa’s wind power industry.
This innovative inspection process combines cutting-edge inspection software with advanced camera and LiDAR payloads, all integrated on the reliable DJI M300 industrial drone. Together, these technologies create a powerful inspection tool that far surpasses traditional manual methods.
In a recent trial, our two-person drone team flew from Cape Town to a remote wind farm in under nine hours. After calibrating the system on the first turbine, the automated inspection process took over, allowing the team to inspect 163 turbines in just 12 days with minimal pilot intervention—reserved only for weather or wildlife interference. This approach ensures uniform and consistent data capture, completely eliminating human error and delivering high-quality images repeated reliably across all inspections.
During inspections, our drone team carefully logs any detected damage and immediately notifies the client of any serious issues. All image data is uploaded daily and reviewed by overseas inspection specialists, enabling our client to receive fast, detailed damage assessments.
Speed is critical, but never at the cost of accuracy. Our team inspects between 14 and 18 turbines daily, spending no more than 24 minutes per turbine. This rapid pace significantly reduces turbine downtime, helping clients maximise the operational efficiency of their wind farms.
Many inspection methods claim to be fast, but few deliver the reliable, actionable data required. Darkwing Aerials’ automated inspection package is field-tested, dependable, and ready for immediate deployment across wind farms throughout South Africa.
Our mission is to revolutionise the South African drone industry, and this automated wind turbine inspection process marks a giant leap towards that goal. We’re proud to offer a safer, faster, and more accurate inspection solution that helps clients optimise their renewable energy assets.