Professional drones
- Key feature
- 42 min flight time
- Ingress protection
- IP43
- Key feature
- 640×512 thermal
On order
From €9,490 ex VATor €319/month in RaaS
Updated
USE CASE · ENERGY AND SOLAR
Power line and wind turbine inspection drone: towers, conductors and blades seen up close, without lifts or rope access
The drone flies along the lines and around the turbines, taking visible and thermal images of insulators, connections and blades. Maintenance crews only work at height on confirmed defects.
IN BRIEF
Updated
A power line and wind turbine inspection drone takes high-resolution and thermal images of towers, conductors, insulators and blades to find defects and hot spots without working at height.
The Autel EVO Max 4T V2 flies up to 42 min and carries a 48 MP zoom camera, a 640 × 512 thermal camera and a 5 to 1,200 m laser rangefinder, according to its manufacturer.
Robot Distribution selects the drones for your assets, prepares the regulatory framework with you, trains your remote pilots and maintains the fleet, to buy, rent or as RaaS.
WHY
Drone inspection of power lines and wind turbines
An overhead line runs for tens of kilometres across fields, forests and hills; a wind turbine carries its blades tens of metres above the ground. Inspecting them on foot, by helicopter, from a lift or on ropes takes time and exposes crews to work at height.
The multirotor drone sees a tower, an insulator or a blade's leading edge up close; the fixed-wing VTOL drone covers long line corridors. Geotagged images are compared from one campaign to the next to track how defects develop.
HOW IT RUNS
How a drone inspection campaign runs.
Planning the campaign
We list the line sections, towers and turbines, the data expected (photo, thermal, LiDAR) and the frequency. For a turbine, the stop and blade position are agreed with the operator.
Regulatory framework
Depending on the scenario, the flight falls under the open or specific category of Regulations (EU) 2019/947 and 2019/945. Beyond-visual-line-of-sight flight, needed on long corridors, requires authorisation from the national authority.
Inspection flights
The multirotor circles the towers and follows the blades while keeping its distance. The fixed-wing VTOL JOUAV CW-15 cruises at 61 km/h and flies up to 120 min with its MG-120E gimbal, according to its manufacturer.
Analysis and maintenance
Images and thermal readings are sorted by tower or blade, with their position. Crews plan repairs and replacements on confirmed defects.
THE ROBOTS
Power line and wind turbine inspection drones in our catalogue.
Skydio
Professional drones
- Key feature
- 40 min flight time
- Ingress protection
- IP55
- Maximum speed
- 72 km/h
On orderFrom €17,390 ex VATor €589/month in RaaS
Professional drones
- Ingress protection
- IP56
- Key feature
- 54 min flight time
- Key feature
- 10 km operating radius
On orderFrom €16,790 ex VATor €569/month in RaaS
Professional drones
- Payload
- 3 kg
- Key feature
- 180 min endurance
- Maximum speed
- 61 km/h
On orderPrice on requestParrot
Professional drones
- Ingress protection
- IP53
- Key feature
- 38–70 min flight time
- Key feature
- −36 to 50 °C operation
On orderFrom €23,290 ex VATor €789/month in RaaS
BEFORE INSTALLING
What the preliminary study checks before the first campaign.
Length and terrain
Section length, terrain, vegetation and road access guide the choice between a multirotor flown on site, a docked drone and a fixed-wing aircraft.
Wind and weather
Wind farms are windy: the Parrot ANAFI UKR withstands 15 m/s winds and the Autel EVO Max 4T V2 12 m/s, according to their manufacturers.
Airspace
Airfields, restricted zones, populated areas and nearby lines determine the flight category and the flight paths.
Electromagnetic fields
Near live conductors, minimum flight distances are agreed with the grid operator to protect the drone's radio link and compass.
RULES AND STANDARDS
Rules for inspecting power lines and wind turbines by drone in France
Long corridors and tall turbines raise three specific questions: flying beyond sight, flying above 120 m, and what a wind farm operator must inspect anyway.
Long corridors: STS-02 or a PDRA
Since 1 January 2026 the French national scenarios S-1 to S-3 no longer exist. Beyond visual line of sight, the European STS-02 requires a C6-class drone, a controlled ground area in a sparsely populated zone, and a range of 1 km from the remote pilot, or 2 km with airspace observers. Otherwise the DSAC can authorise flights on the PDRA-S02 or PDRA-G01 templates.
Above 120 m: airspace coordination
On the French ministry's specific-category page, any visual flight above 120 m in height needs approval from the regional airspace management committees, requested on CERFA form 15478*02 sent to the regional DSAC office. This approval comes on top of the DSAC operating authorisation, not instead of it. Plan it for nacelle and blade-tip work on tall turbines.
Periodic checks of wind turbines
Article 18 of the French order of 26 August 2011 on wind farms requires a check three months, then one year after commissioning, then at least every three years: tower and blade-root flanges, blade fixing and a visual check of the tower. The classified-installations inspectorate reviews these records. Drone images can document the visual check; flange work remains for technicians.
Official sources
- Exploitation de drones en catégorie spécifique · Ministère de la Transition écologique (DGAC) · accessed
- Standard scenarios (STS-01, STS-02) · Direction de l'aviation civile, Luxembourg · accessed
- Rapport de l'inspection des installations classées – parc éolien (art. 18 de l'arrêté du 26 août 2011) · DREAL Hauts-de-France / Géorisques · accessed
General information, not legal advice.
FAQ
Grid and wind farm operators' questions about drone inspection.
What flight time do we need for a line?
According to the manufacturer: 42 min for the Autel EVO Max 4T V2, 40 min for the Skydio X10, 54 min for the DJI Dock 3 aircraft, and up to 180 min without payload for the fixed-wing JOUAV CW-15.
Does the drone find hot spots on connections?
With a thermal camera, yes: the Autel EVO Max 4T V2 and Skydio X10 carry a 640 × 512 thermal sensor, according to their manufacturers. Readings are best taken while the line is loaded, so that heating shows.
Can we fly above 120 m to inspect a wind turbine?
In the open category, Regulation (EU) 2019/947 limits height to 120 m, but allows flying up to 15 m above an artificial obstacle taller than 105 m, within 50 m of it, at the request of the entity responsible for it. Beyond that, the flight falls under the specific category.
Does a docked drone suit power lines?
For a substation or a nearby section, yes: the DJI Dock 3 covers a 10 km radius, recharges its drone from 15 to 95% in 27 min and can be vehicle-mounted, according to its manufacturer. For tens of kilometres, a fixed-wing drone or several docks are needed.
Do we need a class-certified drone?
To fly close to people in the A2 subcategory of the open category, you need a C2 class drone: the Autel EVO Max 4T V2 series holds an EU C2 class certificate, according to its manufacturer. The remote pilot needs the matching training.
USE CASES
Robotic solar panel cleaningThe robot brushes the module rows, dry or with water, remote-controlled or autonomous depending on the model. Operations teams keep monitoring, electrical checks and plant maintenance.
Drone inspection of solar and industrial sitesThe drone flies over modules, roofs, networks and equipment and brings back visible and thermal images, piloted on site or launched from an automated dock. Technicians keep the analysis, decisions and repairs.
Electrical substation inspectionA ground robot patrols the substation aisles and a docked drone flies over the equipment. Together they record temperatures, gauges and visual condition, without sending someone out for every round.
Send us a map of your lines or wind farm. We propose the drones and the flight framework.
Robots, acquisition mode and delivery terms, in one written proposal.