The construction of large renewable energy parks involves coordinating hundreds of activities across areas that can exceed 400 hectares . Between earthmoving, structural installation, panel assembly, and electrical work, execution errors are not always obvious. Some may even extend beyond the project boundaries.
“What I’ve seen that’s most alarming in specific cases are trenches that encroach on someone else’s property. I’ve seen this on several occasions, and it can involve legal, economic, and even environmental problems,” revealed Alejandro Cebrián García , Regional Sales Manager at Above , during the “It Had to Be Said and It Was Said ” Strategic Energy livestream.
Relive the full streaming: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kWhbuOYkIs
There are also discrepancies with respect to the plans, undocumented modifications, and difficulties in knowing the actual progress of the work.
“Ultimately, these are cases that, although you never think they'll happen, we're talking about parks of 200, 300, or 400 hectares, and you can't control everything. Many deviations are quite normal and arise during the plant phase. The problem is that they aren't recorded in the final as-built documentation. And that's what we support,” the specialist acknowledged.
Therefore, to improve this monitoring, Above combines drones, artificial intelligence and data analytics through a platform that allows quantifying installed components, identifying deviations and having up-to-date information in 24 to 48 hours .
The system processes aerial images and automatically counts piles, photovoltaic panels, and meters of fencing , as well as verifying the progress of various activities. Any discrepancies identified can be documented and compared with the project's engineering plans.
The information allows owners to verify progress and EPC companies to monitor subcontractors, track payment milestones, and control the quality of work. Therefore, quantitative and qualitative monitoring reduces blind spots on projects with multiple work fronts.
Above already has a vast track record in the field, since, after being founded in 2015 and initially focusing its activity on thermal analysis for operation and maintenance, around 2018 and 2019 it began to develop its solutions for construction.
“We even have a network of over 600 local pilots, spread across different countries, which we rely on to provide full service. But there's always the option for the client to buy an autonomous drone and fly it themselves, and Above analyzes all the data,” explained Cebrián García.
Although aerial observation has limitations, civil, electrical, and mechanical inspections require records that cannot always be obtained through flights.
As a result, Above uses a mobile application connected to its Digital Twin , from which supervisors photograph incidents, georeference components and document tasks directly on the platform.
“Instead of having a more analog or more basic control, the user would directly use the application, which is connected to a digital twin,” he explained, alluding to the fact that, for example, a pile driving inspection can be automatically incorporated into the project records without the need to later consolidate photographs, spreadsheets, and PDF documents.
Autonomous robots and Mexico: the next markets for digital supervision
However, the company is already preparing for the next stage, with the focus on automating inspections using robots directly connected to the digital twin.
“Our focus is on ensuring that our Digital Twin is ready so that in the future, robots working in the field, which we are already seeing at many trade fairs—robot dogs that can perform certain tests, among other things—will be directly connected to our platform,” anticipated the Regional Sales Manager of Above.
The goal is for a SCADA system alert to trigger an inspection, capture images, and record incidents without requiring manual intervention at each stage, as well as the ability to perform repetitive tasks, such as reading serial numbers of photovoltaic modules.
“These are models that are emerging, they are being tested. We are conducting some tests internally in the UK. And just like with autonomous drones, as regulations progress in different countries, you simply won't need a pilot present to fly them,” the interviewee emphasized.
Relive the full streaming: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kWhbuOYkIs
“Another example of its use is that it doesn’t make much sense for 200,000 panels to be scanned one by one by people with a gun or with an application like ours. So there I see new technologies and the possibility of improvement,” he said.
The expansion of these tools is finding new opportunities in Latin America. Mexico is positioning itself as one of Above's priority markets , and the company has already received requests for surveying services from engineering firms.
Why? The country reactivated calls for proposals to accelerate private permits and promote mixed developments with the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE), linked to more than 10 GW of renewables and 1.2 GW of storage .
In addition, Mexico's Energy Secretariat (SENER) is moving forward with a second call for proposals under mixed development schemes, with 66 selected initiatives totaling 8,241 MW of solar and wind power, distributed among 34 economic groups .
“We have already received the first wave of demand for services. So, we are paying close attention to everything that is happening in that market because it is undoubtedly the number one market in Latin America,” says Cebrián García.
Above also identifies opportunities in Peru and Chile , where it seeks to transfer solutions implemented in Europe, in parallel with the slowdown that the executive observes in markets such as Spain.
“But we must offset this exponentially growing adoption with the low demand curve in some European countries. Therefore, we should also take advantage of this and implement the solutions we've brought to Europe and deployed in many parks in countries like Mexico, Peru, and Chile, among others,” he concluded.