Case Studies
Drones for Non-Destructive Testing
Answering a need from the wind energy industry, Persimia has developed the world’s first drone for non-destructive testing (NDT). NDT plays a significant role in inspection and maintenance regimes for wind turbine blades. However, blades are difficult for personnel to access, leading to longer inspection times and higher costs. Using funding from a US Department of Energy Grant, Persimia built TurbInsight – the world’s first drone equipped with NDT capability. TurbInsight takes off from a location near the turbine, attaches to the blade via a suction anchor, folds down onto the blade surface, and performs an area inspection using an NDT payload such as ultrasound or microwave. Once the inspection is complete, the drone detaches from the blade and lands autonomously at the desired location. Watch our demo video here.
Bat survey drones
In 2023, one of North America’s leading wildlife consultancies approached us to develop a custom drone for bat surveys at wind farms. The vehicle had to carry an acoustic monitor as well as infrared and visual cameras, and have a reduced acoustic signature to allow the onboard microphone to detect bat echolocation. Our engineers worked closely with the client to rapidly design this unique aircraft over the course of only 6 months.
Persimia’s one-of-a-kind bat survey drone is an NDAA-compliant autonomous vehicle designed specifically for airborne detection of bats. The aircraft is built strictly from NDAA-compliant components and is currently being used for bat surveys at wind farms across the midwestern United States.
Environmental impact modeling software
Persimia is a trusted developer of custom simulation software for modeling environmental and community impacts of renewable energy development. Over the past 10 years, Persimia’s engineering team has developed customized software to simulate noise, shadow flicker from wind turbines, zone of visual impact (ZVI), and bat fatality risk at wind farms. These software modules have been used by renewable energy developers across North America and around the world.
In 2024, Persimia’s ISO-9613-2 noise and shadow flicker simulation software was integrated into WindPlanner, a leading software suite for wind farm planning. Also in 2024, Persimia partnered with the Electric Power Research Institute to deploy a new website for modeling bat fatality risk at wind farms. Persimia’s expert engineers and software developers are a critical resource for the energy industry as they seek to accurately model environmental and wildlife impacts of renewable energy development.
Persimia
Persimia develops custom autonomous aircraft and simulation software for renewable energy and wildlife conservation applications.
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