⚡Powering Green Energy with Drones: Inspection & Survey for a Renewable Energy Giant in Saudi Arabia

🏢 Client Profile

The client is a pioneering renewable energy developer in Saudi Arabia, responsible for operating one of the largest utility-scale solar farms in the Kingdom with a total installed capacity of 600 MW. As a key contributor to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, their mission goes beyond generating clean electricity. They aim to deliver reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy at scale, while simultaneously reducing reliance on fossil fuels.

Operating an asset of this size and complexity requires a relentless focus on efficiency, asset reliability, and long-term sustainability. Every PV module in the facility represents a critical unit of energy production, and even minor inefficiencies—such as dust accumulation, electrical faults, or panel degradation—can significantly reduce overall yield. To stay ahead, the client embraced drone-powered solar inspections as part of its forward-thinking strategy to improve operations, maintenance, and reporting.

Drone Inspecting Solar Panels:

Saudi Arabia is witnessing one of the fastest expansions of renewable energy in the world. With ambitious capacity targets under Vision 2030, solar farms are rapidly scaling in size and complexity. This growth demands new approaches to asset management — and drone solar inspections are proving to be the most effective solution to maintain efficiency, reduce costs, and maximize clean energy output.

❗ The Challenges of Manual Solar Farm Inspections

Traditional inspection methods rely on ground teams walking through vast solar arrays with handheld devices. For a 600 MW project, this means inspecting millions of square meters manually — a nearly impossible task.

Key challenges included:

• Time-Consuming: Manual inspections took several months, leaving faults undetected for long periods.

• Operational Disruption: Inspections often required shutting down sections of the solar farm, reducing power generation.

• Accuracy Limitations: Human-led inspections frequently missed micro-cracks, hotspots, or string-level faults.

• Labor & Safety Risks: Teams faced extreme conditions under the Saudi sun, risking fatigue, dehydration, and safety hazards.

• Escalating Costs: Large manpower requirements drove up inspection costs significantly.

  
  

The client recognized that manual inspections could not scale effectively with their renewable energy ambitions. The critical question was: How can we achieve precise, scalable, and cost-efficient inspections without disrupting energy generation?

These challenges highlighted a growing gap between traditional inspection methods and the scale of modern solar farms. Manual inspections were no longer sustainable, either financially or operationally. To put this in perspective:

- A manual team could only cover a few megawatts per day.

- A drone fleet could scan hundreds of megawatts in the same time.

This clear efficiency gap pushed the client to explore drone-powered alternatives.

✅ NineTenths’ Drone Inspection Solution

1. Advanced Drone Deployment

NineTenths deployed a fleet of DJI M350 RTK drones equipped with dual-sensor thermal and RGB payloads. The autonomous missions scanned the entire solar plant, capturing high-resolution imagery of all PV modules.

2. Automated Flight Strategy

Our team programmed GNSS-guided autonomous missions, ensuring 100% coverage of the solar farm with minimal flight time. Route optimization reduced battery swaps and increased efficiency. Unlike manual piloting, this approach guaranteed repeatable and consistent data collection across the massive 600 MW site.

3. AI-Powered Data Processing

Thousands of high-resolution images were processed through NineTenths’ proprietary AI analytics pipeline, which detected:

• Cell-level defects and micro-cracks

• String outages and inverter failures

• Soiling and shading patterns

• Tracker misalignments and mechanical faults

• Electrical hotspots from imbalances

Using GIS-integrated reporting tools, each anomaly was mapped with pinpoint accuracy. Operations & Maintenance (O&M) teams received actionable reports that eliminated guesswork and accelerated repairs.

The integration of AI with drone imagery was a game-changer. Instead of relying solely on human interpretation, machine learning algorithms identified hidden defects, ensuring that no anomaly — however small — went unnoticed. This fusion of UAV technology with AI analytics established a new benchmark for renewable energy inspections in the Kingdom.

4. Actionable Insights

Within just 48 hours, the client received:

• Prioritized fault maps ranking issue severity

• Soiling heatmaps to optimize cleaning schedules

• Performance benchmarks across different plant sections

• Predictive maintenance insights, supporting long-term reliability

This rapid turnaround replaced months of manual work with data-driven, high-accuracy reporting.

Beyond speed and accuracy, the shift to drone inspections also had measurable environmental and financial benefits. Faster detection of underperforming modules meant more clean energy fed into the grid, directly supporting carbon reduction goals. At the same time, reduced manpower requirements lowered operational costs — freeing resources to be reinvested in expanding renewable capacity.

📊 Manual vs Drone Inspections: A Comparison

This comparison made it clear why drone-powered solar inspections are not only more efficient but are becoming the global standard for utility-scale renewable energy projects.

🔧 Technology in Use

• Drone Platform: DJI M350 RTK

• Sensors: Integrated thermal + RGB payload

• Flight Strategy: GNSS-guided, autonomous with route optimization

• Processing: AI-driven thermal analytics, GIS-based fault reporting

• Output: Geotagged reports, anomaly maps, dashboard access, export-ready formats

🌱Why Drone Inspections Matter in Saudi Arabia

The global renewable energy sector is scaling rapidly, and drone solar inspections are becoming a necessity, not a luxury. In Saudi Arabia, where Vision 2030 emphasizes clean energy, these solutions are especially critical.

Benefits include:

• Faster fault detection, reducing energy losses

• Safer inspections by eliminating human exposure in extreme conditions

• AI-driven insights that enable predictive maintenance

• Increased operational efficiency, directly lowering carbon emissions

By integrating drone technology, Saudi renewable operators align with national goals while setting benchmarks for global best practices.

In the context of Vision 2030, every percentage point of efficiency gained translates into tangible progress toward Saudi Arabia’s renewable energy milestones. Drone inspections directly support these national objectives by ensuring solar assets perform at maximum output, extending their lifespan, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.

💬 Client Feedback

“ NineTenths didn’t just offer a service — they delivered transformation. Their team replaced months of manual effort with rapid, high-accuracy results that improved how we manage and maintain our solar asset portfolio.”

🔄 What’s Next?

Following the success of this project, the client awarded NineTenths a multi-year contract covering ongoing inspection and maintenance support across additional solar farms. Looking ahead, the collaboration will expand into:

• Predictive Maintenance: Leveraging AI and historical data to anticipate failures

• Digital Twins: Creating real-time replicas of assets for continuous monitoring

• Cross-Technology Inspections: Integrating UAV solar inspections underwater ROVs for offshore infrastructure

• Regional Scalability: Extending drone-based inspection models across the MENA region

  
  

This partnership reflects how NineTenths is not only delivering inspection services but reshaping the future of renewable asset management with innovation, sustainability, and efficiency.

📩 Ready to modernize your solar inspections?

To learn how our drone-powered solutions can optimize your solar asset performance — with speed, accuracy, and zero disruption.

📩 Contact Us

📞 Or speak with a specialist: 920015910