Drones give power plants a big boost

KUNMING — A message that a "photovoltaic panel is arriving," blared over the intercom at the construction site of a PV power generation project in Lufeng, Yunnan province.

A short while later, a drone carrying a PV panel flew over the site about 300 meters from the foot of the hill where materials for the project were being kept. The entire process, from the load being bound to the drone to unloading at the other end, took less than five minutes.

It took the crew 30 seconds to unfasten and remove the panel from the drone. The use of remote-controlled drones is contributing significantly to progress in construction.

The drones have a maximum lifting weight of 40 kilograms and a maximum flying distance of 500 meters, according to Xu Qibo, a drone operator. The PV power generation project is located on a steep mountainside with difficult terrain, making it complicated to transport materials.

Previously, people hauled materials on horseback, according to Ma Shaozhen, project manager with the China Anneng Group. It used to take about 30 minutes for two workers to deliver an 8.5-meter piece of steel to the site.

Slow delivery seriously hindered progress. Since the drones were introduced, many workers have commented on how much faster they can work, how simple it is to use the machines and how much safer transport has become now that they don't have to worry about hauling equipment along poor roads and up steep slopes.

Yunnan plans to develop PV and wind power projects that will generate a combined 50 million kilowatts in the next three years, and drones are expected to greatly hasten construction, according to Yang Bin, general manager of Huadian (Lufeng) New Energy Development.

Xinhua