TUV India says it assessed a 25 MW solar photovoltaic power project using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

The assessment involved flight planning; flying the drone; uploading data from the drone to a software platform; data processing, analysis, documentation, and interpretation; and delivering a final report.

Manish Bhuptani and V. Viswanathan with the drone.The drone conducted a topographical survey, coordinate measurements of the land, depth of trenches, pile foundations, Module Mounting Structure (MMS) and measurements, distance between poles, tilt, length,and related processes. It also included cable laying, substation, transmission line survey, and a project overview.

The second phase is expected to take place after installation of solar modules and operation of the PV power projects for at least six months.

TUV India says it is now confident it can use this technology for assessment, surveillance, and inspection of infrastructure projects like rail, roads, sea port, airports, pipelines, wind projects, and related facilities.