Our Case Studies
Real projects. Real data. See how AiRotor Labs delivers measurable ROI through AI-powered drone inspections across India's renewable energy and infrastructure sectors.
200 MW Solar Farm Thermographic Inspection
THE CHALLENGE
A 200 MW utility-scale solar farm spread across 1,000+ acres was experiencing unexplained generation losses of 8-12% during peak summer months. Traditional ground-based inspection teams could only sample 10-15% of panels, missing systematic defects.
OUR SOLUTION
AiRotor deployed DJI Matrice 350 RTK drones equipped with Zenmuse H30T dual thermal-RGB sensors. Autonomous flight missions at 20m AGL with 70% overlap achieved 100% panel coverage. AiServe AI platform processed 45,000+ thermal and RGB images.
The inspection revealed 340+ bypass diode failures, 1,800+ soiling hot spots, and 12 string-level PID clusters — most invisible to ground crews. Targeted maintenance restored 9.3% of lost generation within 30 days.
85-Turbine Wind Farm Blade Inspection
THE CHALLENGE
An 85-turbine onshore wind farm with 2.1 MW turbines required annual blade inspection. Traditional rope-access crews could inspect only 2-3 turbines per day, needed turbine shutdown, and posed significant safety risks in high-wind conditions.
OUR SOLUTION
AiRotor used high-resolution 45 MP cameras mounted on custom-built drones with GPS-stabilized hovering. Each turbine was inspected in 25-30 minutes without shutdown, capturing blade surfaces at 0.3 mm/px resolution from hub to tip across all three blades.
Detected 47 leading-edge erosion zones, 18 lightning strike marks, and 6 structural cracks — 3 of which were rated critical and repaired within the month, preventing potential blade failure during monsoon season.
300 MW Solar Farm Vegetation Monitoring
THE CHALLENGE
A 300 MW utility-scale solar farm at Nokhra was spending heavily on blanket mowing across the entire site on a fixed calendar. Despite this, vegetation regrowth between cycles caused recurring shading losses, hotspot formation, and fire-risk audit flags during monsoon and post-monsoon months.
OUR SOLUTION
AiRotor deployed the in-house AG-1 multirotor with a 5-band multispectral sensor (Blue, Green, Red, Red-Edge, NIR) at 3-5 cm/px GSD. Fortnightly flights during growth season captured NDVI orthomosaics across the full 1,500+ acre site. AI segmented vegetation from panels, roads and bare soil, ranking growth zones by severity and issuing GPS work orders for targeted intervention only.
Baseline NDVI mapping identified residual root systems and moisture pockets across 12% of the site. Fortnightly growth-rate tracking predicted breach zones 2-3 weeks before vegetation was visible to the eye. Targeted herbicide and trim work orders replaced blanket mowing, cutting vegetation spend by 45% while recovering 2.1% annual yield previously lost to shading. Zero emergency mows required across the full monsoon season.
Night Drone Surveillance for Powerline Theft Detection
THE CHALLENGE
UGVCL was facing significant revenue losses due to rampant powerline theft and illegal tapping across rural distribution networks in North Gujarat. Ground patrols were ineffective at night — the peak period for theft activity — and covered only a fraction of the vulnerable corridor. Repeated theft at the same locations indicated organized activity that traditional surveillance could not deter.
OUR SOLUTION
AiRotor deployed thermal-equipped drones for night surveillance missions across high-theft corridors. Thermal imaging detected human activity and unauthorized connections invisible in darkness, while GPS-tagged evidence was relayed to UGVCL enforcement teams in real time. Drones covered 15-20 km per night sortie, focusing on repeat-offence zones identified from UGVCL's loss data.
Thermal drone surveillance identified 38 illegal tapping points and unauthorized connections across the surveyed corridor, with GPS-tagged evidence provided directly to UGVCL enforcement. The visible drone presence combined with rapid detection led to a 70% drop in theft incidents in the monitored zones, significantly reducing distribution losses and serving as a scalable deterrent model for other GEBs.
500-Acre Industrial Zone Topographical Survey
THE CHALLENGE
A 500-acre plot within the Dholera Special Investment Region needed detailed topographical survey for an upcoming industrial park development. Traditional total-station survey would take 4-6 weeks and cost significantly more.
OUR SOLUTION
AiRotor deployed PPK-enabled drones with RTK base station, flying at 80m AGL with 80% frontal and 70% side overlap. Ground control points placed at 200m intervals ensured sub-centimeter accuracy. Photogrammetric processing generated orthomosaics, DSM, DTM, and contour maps.
Delivered a complete deliverable package — georeferenced orthomosaic, digital surface model, digital terrain model, and 0.5m contour maps — enabling the civil engineering team to begin grading design within a week of survey completion.
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