A key operational risk for Renewable Power and Transition’s Spanish concentrated solar plant (CSP) business, Solclef, is the malfunctioning or breaking of the ball joint that helps the CSP’s mirrored panels to move, tracking the sun. Rupture or stoppage of a ball joint can lead to spills or reduced output from the technology. On-site manual inspections and measurement of the angles of the ball joint assemblies took a significant amount of time for employees. The business recognized the need to increase the speed and efficiency of the inspection process and minimize manual interventions, with the goal of improving data accuracy and focusing on strengthening overall safety measures for high-risk areas.
The business piloted an automated inspection process using drone technology, which demonstrated that angles could be successfully technically measured using AI. Following the success of the pilot, Solclef deployed an inspection process using drone technology across the rest of its fleet. Automated drone flight paths took images of all entry, exit, and crossover ball joint assemblies. This approach allowed for real-time monitoring and implementation of preventative measures based on the positions of the ball joint assemblies.
