Empirical Systems Aerospace, Inc. (ESAero), a leader in electric aircraft technologies, and Intelligent Energy Limited (IE), a manufacturer of lightweight hydrogen fuel cells for flight, have signed a distributor agreement for ESAero to represent the IE-SOAR fuel cell product line on fixed wing, rotary wing and vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) applications in the United States.
ESAero produces unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and advanced air mobility (AAM) platforms for commercial and military applications. ESAero is an established leader in the field, demonstrating for decades their core competencies in the design and manufacture of innovative, efficient, and sustainable electric aircraft technologies. ESAero’s AS9100-certified manufacturing skills and Group I through Group III design and integration experiences are ideally suited to advance the use of IE’s SOAR and future FLIGHT product lines. ESAero’s U.S. market presence is well-positioned to accelerate customer integration of the IE-SOAR fuel cells into their products.
IE develops and manufactures hydrogen fuel cell products in the United Kingdom, with the IE-SOAR line delivering clean power from 800W to 24kW for aerial applications. The IE fuel cell line includes retrofit kits for integration into existing UAS products, enhancing mission performance that requires increased endurance. IE-SOAR technology unchains UAS from the restrictive flight times offered by current battery technologies.
ESAero engaged with IE in 2021, testing, validating, and integrating the IE-SOAR products in VTOL and fixed-wing small and medium UAS, including ESAero’s own Group I FAST, a swarming UAS system.
ESAero is excited about this partnership and will provide direct sales of IE’s fuel cells to US customers and engineering and design support for the integration of fuel cells and electric propulsion systems. Andrew Gibson, President & CEO of ESAero states “Intelligent Energy’s IE-SOAR products enable us to take our products and our customers’ products to the next level.
Not only do they significantly increase the endurance of existing battery-powered UAS, but they also do it in a clean and sustainable manner, supporting ESAero’s mission to bring the best, most efficient, and cleanest UAS and AAM capabilities forward to the aerospace industry.”
“In 2021 we identified ESAero as an ideal partner to represent our IE-SOAR products in North America. ESAero’s engineering and manufacturing capabilities perfectly complement the integration of our products. We are delighted to announce this distribution partnership and look forward to the North American market further realising the benefits of our technology,” Andy Kelly, Head of IE-Soar Product Line.
ESAero will feature the IE-SOAR Product line and Group II UAS Integration during the week of May 8 th , 2023 in exhibits at AUVSI “Xponential” 2023 in Denver, CO and at Global SOF “SOFWeek” in Tampa, FL.
About Intelligent Energy
Intelligent Energy is focused on the development and manufacture of its lightweight hydrogen fuel cell products ranging from 800W to 200kW for customers in the automotive, aerospace, generator, telecoms, materials handling and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) sectors. The company is headquartered and manufactures in Loughborough in the UK.
As a leader in electric aircraft technology development, including NASA’s X-57 Maxwell, ESAero has built upon its experience to provide accelerated and advanced sustainable aerospace development technologies throughout the aerospace industry. ESAero’s services range from R&D, engineering, design for manufacturing, rapid prototyping and testing, to AS9100 certified manufacturing based in San Luis Obispo, CA.
Colorado-based P3 Tech Consulting LLC announces that it has partnered with the Energy Drone and Robotics Coalition (EDRC) to bring its world-class Law-Tech Connect™ Workshop (LTCW) platform to EDRC’s annual Summit this year. This co-located event will take place on Monday, June 12th at the Woodlands Waterway Marriott in Houston, Texas.
P3 Tech is a veteran and woman owned business led by Dawn Zoldi (Colonel, USAF Retired), a licensed attorney and globally renowned industry expert. The company successfully launched its first LTCW at AUVSI Xponential 2022 in Orlando, Florida last year. It has plans in the works for Xponential 2023 (May 8, Denver), in addition to this specialized energy sector edition at EDRC at the 7th Annual Energy Drone & Robotics Summit.
EDRC’s Summit is the most influential gathering of industrial, energy and engineering leaders in the world where the key challenges and solutions are addressed for operating drones, satellites, and robotics successfully, from the stars to the sea floor.
Every year, EDRC’s three-day event attracts, connects and informs thousands of worldwide industrial uncrewed leaders in the rapidly growing energy sector. Stakeholders gain valuable insights into the business and technology of uncrewed systems, automation and data/AI in energy operations. The Summit includes an expo hall, educational sessions, demonstrations, 1:1 meetings, networking events and co-located events. The LTCW-Energy Edition will be one of those co-located events.
The programmed half-day Workshop the Summit will provide dynamic energy sector-specific legal/regulatory/policy educational content relating to multi-domain autonomous systems and related technologies utilized in energy.
P3 Tech gears these events towards a broad audience of uncrewed ecosystem industry leaders, operators, attorneys, academia, government agencies and nonprofits.
EDRC Managing Director, Sean Guerre, said, “At EDRC, we have historically focused on innovating energy operations with dynamic UAV, robotics, data and automation solutions. We are ecstatic to bring Law-Tech Connect, with an energy focus in the legal, regulatory and policy arena, to our event this year. This is a natural progression for us as we continue to build out our content and expand our network in the energy sector!”
Zoldi plans to curate another top-tier lineup of commercial industry, academic and attorney speakers. LTCW-Energy agenda topics will cover key legal issues relating to maritime environments, methane compliance, beyond visual line of sight operations and critical infrastructure security. It is anticipated that the workshop will qualify as a Texas Bar-accredited Continuing Legal Education (CLE) program (4 credits).
Stay tuned for more information in the months to follow. In the meantime, individuals or companies interested in sponsoring should email [email protected].
Tulip Tech, a leading provider of high energy density and high power battery packs for UAVs and robotics, is set to revolutionize the industry. Today, the company is announcing a new flag under which it is building it’s next generation battery pack products: Tulip Tech!
The company’s mission is to electrify light aviation, and its primary focus is on developing batteries that meet aviation standards and satisfy the unique requirements of its customers.
Tulip Tech is committed to pushing the boundaries of the aviation industry by providing the most efficient and reliable battery solutions for electric flight. Its batteries undergo rigorous testing to ensure they meet the stringent aviation standards before they are approved for use in electric aircraft.
“We have customers where our battery packs have enabled an increase of 50% to 80% in flight time, by using the newest cells and the lightest materials.” said Bernd Rietberg, CEO of Tulip Tech. “We believe battery packs are the key to the electrification revolution. Our focus is on creating high energy density battery packs that are safe, reliable, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly. With our modular BMS and battery pack solution, we can provide drone players with a customized, high-quality battery whilst being cost-effective.”
Tulip Tech produces battery packs with an impressive energy density of up to 300 Wh/kg at the pack level (8C continuous discharge, 1000+ cycles), making them one of the most dense battery packs available in the market. Its commitment to quality and customer satisfaction has driven its success in the industry. Its innovative battery solutions have garnered attention from industry experts and customers alike, and the company is proud to have earned a reputation as a reliable provider of cutting-edge technology.
“As the aviation industry continues to embrace electric flight, Tulip Tech is at the forefront of providing innovative and reliable battery solutions,” added Lennard Verhoeff from NLR and Dutch Drone Delta. “We are excited to continue pushing the boundaries of the aviation industry and to power the future of electric flight.”
Tulip Tech’s collaboration with the Dutch National Aerospace Laboratory (NLR) and the Dutch Drone Delta highlights their shared vision for the electrification of light aviation. Together, they will showcase their innovative battery solutions at the Amsterdam Drone Week.
Autonomous systems can aid in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and empowering efficient energy consumption.
Soft- and hard-wing drones flying in circles could generate energy and transmit it down a cable tether, as illustrated in this concept art by X-Wind.de.
This summer’s high temperatures and melting pavements have yet again driven home the reality that human-induced climate change is reshaping the Earth on a decidedly non-geological timescale. According to current trendlines, large swathes of densely inhabited coastlines are likely to be submerged with melted Arctic ice water by 2050, from Manhattan to Mumbai, Jakarta to Shanghai.
Currently, the planet will fail to contain global warming to an aspirational 2030 target of 1.5 degrees centigrade, or even the more feasible-seeming 2 degrees. Climate Action Tracker estimates a realistic outcome at 2.4-2.7 degrees centigrade. While that’s down from the 3.6 degrees projected in 2015, dire global consequences could include hundreds of millions more people being exposed to extreme weather and drought.
Perhaps the human activity most central to the onset of global warming—and most key to containing it to an “acceptable” level—is related to energy: the ways humanity produces it, and how efficiently we consume it. Consequently, we face a precarious balance: maturing technologies such as wind and solar infrastructures are positioning renewable energy sources to scale and displace fossil fuels, while war-driven energy instability, the shutdown of nuclear power plants in Germany and a growing population’s legitimate desire to enjoy the benefits of modern life all increase the impact of climate change.
CAN UNMANNED SYSTEMS HELP MITIGATE GLOBAL WARMING?
Autonomous systems have long been billed as ideal for tasks too “dull, dirty and dangerous”—a fair description of much of the labor involved in maintaining globe-spanning energy infrastructure.
Several factors synergize to contribute to the appeal of unmanned systems:
• An unmanned vehicle can be small and light, and thus consume less energy than a manned vehicle performing the same job
• Smaller weight and size make unmanned systems more likely compatible with non-fossil fuel-based propulsion, lessening climate impact
• In some cases, unmanned systems can perform labor- and energy-intensive tasks such as inspecting energy infrastructure faster and at lower cost.
These characteristics greatly incentivize adoption of unmanned platforms, though enduring limitations can be far from trivial. For example, studies have found that drone delivery consumes less energy and produces fewer emissions than trucks and diesel-powered vans—when distances are shorter and only small packages are delivered. And crewless unmanned surface vessels (USVs) may seem ideal for long-distance cargo delivery—until one considers the lack of onboard crew to repair breakdowns at sea.
Thus, the adoption of unmanned systems will be tempered by commercial operators seeking assurance that the technical risks, and the transition and overhead costs of implementing new unmanned-centric paradigms, are outweighed by the efficiencies and savings achieved.
UNLOCKING BVLOS
A major impediment to fully leveraging the efficiencies offered by UAS is a lack of a routine permissive environment for BVLOS and autonomous operations.
In the U.S., BVLOS flights are approved on a case-by-case basis with a waiver, which is unsustainable given the volume of such flights. In Europe, a survey of 23 European transmission system operators found only 48% operated under a legal regime permissive of regular BVLOS operations, though 70% could test the capability on a non-routine basis. Coincidentally, 70% also reported they didn’t use drones routinely.
BVLOS regulations arise from legitimate concerns on the adequacy of drone sensors and avionics to mitigate risks of collision with other aircraft. However, technologies like Echodyne’s miniaturized EchoFlight phased-array radar, when combined with mature AI, give UAVs organic collision-avoidance capability at an acceptable cost, weight and energy footprint.
Fortunately, regulators know the current regulatory scheme needs adjusting. Notably, in March an FAA committee released the BVLOS ARC report detailing operator guidelines for future BVLOS operations. The recommendations suggest new rules for manned aircraft in drone-shielded airspace (they only get right-of-way over UAVs if equipped with a beacon or automatic broadcast system), and suggest creating rules to certify drone operators, drone types and third-party servicers for BVLOS operations.
Hopefully, this program will lead to fuller BVLOS policies in the near future. Meanwhile, in June, the U.K.’s Civil Aviation Authority released its own BVLOS guidelines, spelling out the equipment, testing and data sharing needed to pass regulatory scrutiny there.
RENEWABLE ENERGY PROPULSION
As BVLOS becomes more viable for commercial operators, larger drones with greater range, endurance and speed may occupy a greater share of the commercial market. But that still requires making difficult tradeoffs when it comes to weight, complexity, launch method and propulsion system efficiency.
Solar power is difficult (but not impossible) to integrate on vertical-lift drones, but more feasible on fixed-wing aircraft with abundant surface on their wings for solar panels. French Company XSun has developed a solar-powered drone that weighs a respectable 55 pounds and can carry an 11-pound payload (optical/thermal cameras, LiDAR, communications systems). The solar panels on its two sets of wings yield a range of 373 miles and maximum endurance of 12 hours (even at night if the cells are fully charged during the day). “With a goal of achieving more sustainability in a world of ever-diminishing resources,” according to company literature, “XSun pursues a path of innovation, diverging radically from traditional UAV design and manufacturing.”
Renewable energy propulsion is also possible under water. Vista, California-based startup Seatrec, has developed an SL1 Thermal Energy Heavy System (costing $25,000 each), which uses energy generated by changes in water temperature to charge a battery. It can be integrated onto UUVs or in static underwater stations visited by UUVs for recharging.
Such technology may be especially enticing for UUVs performing very long-endurance search or survey missions, and even enable a “return-to-base” capability for otherwise single-use UUVs. Reportedly, the startup has received $2 million in government contracts and $3.5 million in venture capital funding.
BUILDING A BETTER BATTERY
Despite the promise of renewable energy propulsion sources, most small, modern unmanned systems rely on batteries, which contribute substantial mass to the platform with a consequent impact on performance.
Lithium-ion batteries have risen as the gold standard of high energy density to weight. They are complemented by more expensive lithium-polymer batteries, which have less energy density, but are widely employed on smaller commercial drones thanks to lower weight and far more moldable form factor.
Arguably the most exciting successor on the horizon may be lithium-air batteries, which can theoretically achieve five to 10 times the energy as weight-equivalent LiBs (i.e., a density very close to that of gasoline!), or twice the energy for volume equivalence. However, they remain slow to recharge, can only do so over a limited number of cycles and can be volatile when in contact with water vapor. Furthermore, “overhead” weight from electrolytes and inactive components significantly compromises their energy-density edge when factored in.
This year, Japan’s National Institute for Material Sciences apparently made a breakthrough with a battery featuring a density of 500 watt-hour per kilo (twice that of batteries in a Tesla Model 3), and with a longer lifecycle to boot. New materials allow for a 31% reduction in electrolytes.
Another potential LiB successor with greater energy density, lithium-sulfur batteries, is also bedeviled with recharge cycle issues. However, a team from University of Michigan published in Nature Communications that they had developed an Li-S battery that increases charge cycles from 10 to 1,000.
Neither technology has seen much if any commercialization. But if lithium-air or lithium-sulfur technology can be successfully matured, the double whammy of high energy capacity at low weight could substantially improve endurance, range and speed of UAVs, and could make electric propulsion for larger, traditionally fossil-fuel powered UAVs more viable.
DRONES AS POWER GENERATORS?
UAVs are also being developed to serve as rivals of sorts to wind power. Theoretically, kite-like tethered drones can access more powerful winds at altitudes above 660 feet than even the tallest turbines can, with a two-fold increase in windspeed resulting in an eight-fold multiplier to energy created.
The mechanical energy of these aircraft gliding in circles could, for example, be transmitted back via the tether to turn a winch on the ground to charge up a generator.
Companies developing such autonomous Airborne Wind Energy (AWE) systems claim these might generate the same energy as a wind turbine at a fraction of the material costs, and could even be swapped easily into existing wind-power infrastructure. Another study by Kate Marvel in the journal Nature Climate Change finds conversion from ground to air-based turbines could generate 1,800 terawatts, compared to 400 from ground-level turbines.
Challenges such drones must overcome involve developing a sufficiently reliable organic take-off-and-landing system to allow ground crews to service and inspect, and a supportive regulatory regime.
Despite being in development for at least two decades, autonomous aerial power generation only achieved the milestone of commercial deployment in February, when Germany’s SkySails Power deployed a paraglider-style airborne wind turbine off Mauritius that could generate a scant 100 KW.
Ultimately, AWE farms could become flexible and cost-efficient wind energy generators—if economies of scale through mass production can be achieved. That presents a chicken-and-egg challenge due to pressure to demonstrate immediately viable products.
Tim Taylor used two Hugin autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) by Norwegian firm Kongsberg to locate the wreck of U.S. Navy submarine S-28, 8,500 feet deep near Oahu. Now his firm seeks to develop its own AUV accessible to a wider range of users. Photo courtesy of Tim Taylor.
UNDERSEA SURVEY, REINVENTED
The benefits of reduced costs and size and increased endurance offered by UAVs compared to manned aircraft are even truer for unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) gliding through the inhospitable depths of the ocean. UUVs have long been used for scientific research and military purposes, but often only in boutique quantities, and most are constrained by the need to remain tethered to a vessel overhead.
Tim Taylor, CEO of UUV startup Tiburon Subsea, believes the technology is here to cut the leash tying commercial drones to their motherships using autonomous algorithms to comb the ocean floor. That way, a single ship could deploy multiple Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) simultaneously, avoiding surface weather constraints or a need to tow UUVs into position. For sustained operations, AUVs could offload data and recharge at a fixed underwater charging station.
Taylor has pioneered commercial AUVs since 2007, mapping more than 24,000 square miles of ocean floor and locating the sunken wrecks of seven U.S. submarines lost in World War II. He’s putting that know-how toward developing his own patented AUV design.
With New York-headquartered Tiburon, Taylor is producing a global AUV fleet with maximum diving depths of 1,500 feet and customizable payloads and power sources that could be rented to clients at competitive rates and operated by “by two guys and a laptop.”
Tiburon has initial funding to build the first three or four prototypes. “There are thousands of customers out there that don’t have access to this technology;” Taylor said. “It’s like having an iPhone that costs $20,000.” Instead, Taylor envisions a Robots as a Service model allowing continuous platform upgrades in pace with rapidly advancing technology and customer benefit.
Besides high-resolution surveys and ocean floor mapping, AUVs could also bring about a far more robust inspection regime for underwater infrastructure, particularly pipelines and abandoned wells prone to leaking hazardous chemicals.
“Every well is supposed to be capped by the oil and gas industry with cement, but most of them leak methane gas,” Taylor said. Per unit, methane traps 25 times more heat in the Earth’s atmosphere than CO2.
“Finding the stuff that’s leaking and zeroing in on that is a tremendous effort,” Taylor continued. “Just in the Gulf of Mexico, all of the shallow coastal areas are seeping in methane.” Infamously, methane from a pipeline leak caused a huge “eye of fire” to blaze on the surface of the Gulf of Mexico in 2021.
Taylor believes quality, accessible and affordable AUVs could perform badly needed inspections routinely and efficiently. Offshore wind farm construction would also benefit, he said, as these require detailed environmental impact assessments and ocean floor surveys charting cable connections to the shore.
OVERCOMING THE DARK SIDE
Of course, just because unmanned systems have the potential to be more energy efficient doesn’t mean they’ll always wind up that way.
A major issue involves the inputs needed for drone production and charging. A study for the journal Advances in Climate Change Research by Jarotwan Koiwanit of Bangkok’s King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology amplified this. Koiwanit calculated that production, and the impact of fossil-fuel based energy production to charge them, were by far primary contributors to environmental impact for his baseline system, while actual drone operations had negligible impacts. His study used a 24-pound Canadian drone with a DJI E2000 electrical propulsion system assumed to operate for 5,000 hours.
“The results showed that emissions were mainly from parts production, which include coal mining, electrical generating station operation and parts production while the drone operation showed the least impact.” The latter particularly included carbon fibers for the cargo box and lithium ion production for the battery.
Thus, companies specifically seeking to use drones to reduce environmental impact should also factor in means of production and the environmental regulatory regime where production took place when calculating life cycle costs. That can mean a substantial part of the environmental impact still comes from how electricity was generated (often by fossil fuels).
Studies also suggest low-flying UAVs can negatively impact wildlife, literally in cases of collisions, and by disrupting their hunting and reproductive behaviors. Perhaps the latest generation of collision avoidance sensors can help minimize the former risk, though even a large bird may have a radar cross-section of a hundredth of a square meter.
Despite these factors, unmanned systems are inextricably intertwined with global energy transformation—both contributing to and being affected by it. Already-existing platforms can substantially shorten laborious inspection and surveying activities that must be undertaken across huge areas by fossil fuel and renewable energy providers alike. By themselves, these capabilities are adequate to result in steep annual growth in the UAV market for years to come.
Maturing autonomous operation capabilities and next-generation propulsion systems, combined with development of a standardized regulatory regime driven by safety-enhancing sensors and AI protocols, are poised to dramatically expand the economical application of unmanned systems, deepening their ubiquity in the market. That may include electricity-generating drones, as well as commercial UUVs used for inspection, survey and search missions.
However, reducing costs and energy consumption for a broad variety of tasks remains a crucial function, making use of renewable energies more efficient and ultimately substituting fossil-fuel-consuming platforms with electrically driven ones. UAS will play a key role in this effort.
The energy industry is taking to the air with drone solutions to tackle a top source in human-caused emissions.
Autonomous inspection robots integrated with Percepto’s AIM (Autonomous Inspection & Monitoring) software scrutinize industrial sites. Photo courtesy of Percepto.
As the drive to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions accelerates, the focus is turning increasingly to reducing methane. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), one-third of the warming from greenhouse gases today is due to human-caused emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that has trapped about 30 times as much heat as carbon dioxide in the last 100 years.
The agency believes that sharp cuts over the next decade will have a near-term beneficial impact on the climate. Late last year, it proposed new protections to meaningfully reduce pollution from the oil and gas industry—including first-time reductions from existing sources nationwide—in a new Clean Air Act rule. The EPA intends to issue a final rule before the end of 2022.
Of course, methane emissions are not just a U.S. challenge.
The Global Methane Initiative (GMI), an international public-private partnership launched in 2004, is looking to advance cost-effective, near-term methane abatement, as well as recovery and re-use. Its Oil and Gas Subcommittee is investigating mitigation opportunities such as technologies, equipment upgrades and enhanced management practices that take advantage of improved measurement and emissions reduction technology.
In addition, the U.S., the European Union (EU) and more than 100 countries launched the Global Methane Pledge (GMP) in 2021 at the COP26 conference in Glasgow to reduce anthropogenic methane emissions at least 30% by 2030 from 2020 levels—strengthening the push to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees centigrade and avoid near-term tipping points.
Photo courtesy of Commaris.
METHANE STRATEGIES
All this methane-mitigation activity has spurred urgency for the energy industry ecosystem. UAS and sensors are playing a role in not only driving emission reduction but also boosting public relations, investor support and corporate ESG goals.
In June, the energy industry gathered in Houston at the 2nd Annual Methane Strategies Forum, led by EnergyNEXT and collocated with the Energy Drone & Robotics Coalition Summit, to discuss real-world strategies, tactics, use cases and projects for global methane emissions reduction.
Most oil and gas methane comes from a small number of sources, said speaker Thomas Fox, president of Calgary-based Highwood Emissions Management.
“Whether it’s 5% of sources accounting for 50% of emissions or 2% accounting for 80% of emissions, it has really important implications for how we go and look for methane,” he said. “There’s a small number of sources that if we can mitigate or prevent, we can hit up most of the challenge relatively easily.”
However, Fox said there are still many unknowns.
“We still don’t really have a great sense of how much we’re emitting and how it varies by different companies or different basins,” he said. “We also don’t have a really good sense of how to measure methane. Technologies that we have available to us are changing, and as those technologies change, we’re learning about what works and what doesn’t, where it works and where it doesn’t work.”
Methods also differ dramatically, with minimum detection limits for OGI (optical gas imagery) at around 20 grams/hour and around 250,000 grams/hour for satellite.
Fox’s company also tracks the number of vendors in the space, which he said is evolving like crazy, with a “huge amount of innovation happening right now.
“Companies themselves must adapt to these changes, in what the challenge actually is and how we confront this challenge, what technologies we use and how we can solve this problem effectively,” he said. “Because we really need to focus on preventing and finding and eliminating these really large sources of emissions.”
Airplane-mounted sensors were used by Standford University researchers to detect methane leaks from oil and natural gas production in the New Mexico half of the Permian Basin. Photo courtesy of Kairos Aerospace, Stanford University.
AERIAL RAPID SCREENING COULD BE A GAME-CHANGER
Environmental watchers and energy industry engineers fear that leaks from mines, wells, refineries, storage facilities and pipelines are vastly underreported. Until recently, however, they lacked the equipment to prove it.
Now, they can confirm suspicions beyond the researchers’ own expectations. The amount of methane leaking from a large U.S. oil and gas producing region is several times greater than federal government estimates, according to a new study led by Stanford University.
Using airborne sensors able to detect methane leaks from individual oil and gas production facilities, the researchers studied the Permian Basin in New Mexico, one of the world’s most expansive and highest-producing oil and gas regions. They estimate that more than 9% of all methane produced in the region is being leaked into the skies, several-fold higher than U.S. EPA estimates and well above those in the published literature. The EPA puts leaks at 1.4% of production on a national basis.
“We surveyed almost every oil and gas asset in the New Mexico Permian for an entire year to measure and link emissions to specific anonymized facilities,” said Evan Sherwin, a post-doctoral scholar in Stanford University’s Department of Energy Resources Engineering and co-lead author of a new paper in the journal Environmental Science & Technology exposing the discrepancy. “It’s worse than we thought by a long shot.”
However, the researchers caution that the study is only of a single region during a specific period and cannot be projected nationally or beyond at this time. The larger and more hopeful message in the study is in the monitoring technology itself. Inexpensive and precise aerial rapid screening of methane leaks could be a game-changer for environmental monitoring.
Regular flights over oil and gas-producing regions would be more accurate and cost-effective than current approaches, Sherwin said, although some ground-based monitoring is still important for smaller emissions. Current ground monitoring of methane leaks costs about $600 per facility, according to industry estimates, and proposed U.S. EPA regulations would require this as many as four times a year. With more than 30,000 oil and gas assets and 15,000 kilometers of natural gas pipelines in the New Mexico Permian Basin, those costs could come to roughly $70 million annually.
“Per-site estimates for aircraft-borne sensing are significantly cheaper than that,” Sherwin said.
The team has already begun discussions with regulators and the industry to encourage wider adoption of this type of sensing. Researchers are optimistic. Once leaks are identified, shutting them down is often an inexpensive and straightforward fix. They hope these new monitoring techniques can be widely adopted to spot the super-emitters quickly, stop losing product and cut off damaging methane leaks as soon as possible.
SNIFFER, LASER AND OGI
As companies look to manage methane emissions, three sensor technologies—sniffer, laser and optical gas imagery (OGI) thermal camera—have emerged as front-runners for aerial detection and measurement of methane emissions. While OGI and sniffer technologies have been widely used on the ground, they are now making their way onto aerial applications.
“As those technologies change, we’re learning about what works and what doesn’t…”
Thomas Fox, president, Highwood Emissions Management
At the 2nd Annual Methane Strategies Forum, Donald Garland, solution consultant and service provider at DronesPlus Dallas, a DJI dealer, discussed the pros and cons of each sensor type.
He cited Soarability as a prime example of sniffer technology, with models like the Sniffer4D (now V2) and Mini2 for DJI Matrice M30 drones. The company’s new CRDS ultrasensitive methane detector offers sensing at 1 part per million, versus most other sensors in the 100-120 ppm range.
Garland said the pros of sniffer technology, relative to laser and OGI, offer low cost ($6,000-$14,000), provision of data such as concentration, and approximate location and durability. However, the tech is subject to windy conditions, and it does not provide the exact location of the leak, using waypoints instead of mapping in many cases.
Lasers such as AILF‘s U10 unit used by DJI provide data on concentration and location that is much more specific for 2D and 3D mapping. The U10 provides an audible detection alert and visual location information via an RGB camera. However, Garland said, lasers are relatively expensive ($67,000) and their optics are delicate. While some are critical of laser’s false positives, Garland would rather be alerted to a leak that, upon further investigation, is not there, than to miss it all together.
OGI thermal cameras from the likes of Sierra-Olympic (Ventus) and FLIR (G300 a series) provide visual confirmation of leak and location, and are not subject to wind speed and direction. Because thermal cameras sense changes in temperature, Garland said, the greater those changes the more likely they will detect a leak. However, they are expensive ($100,000-plus) and do not provide needed data such as concentration and size of leak. Vendors are working to improve solutions in those areas.
Sniffer Robotics is another company focused on methane detection in landfills, and it also is working with utilities as they expand their interest in detecting methane. “We can, within 90% accuracy, identify a leak within 40 feet of the drone,” said Arthur Mohr, founder and CEO of the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based company.
The SnifferDRONE is an EPA-approved alternative means for surface emissions monitoring. The system features a closed-path methane detector onboard a drone and a gas-collection hose with a weighted air inlet nozzle that is suspended from it to collect gas samples at the ground surface during flight.
ENERGY COMPANIES FUND METHANE DETECTION
Energy companies already have invested heavily in reducing methane emissions, but efforts have accelerated in 2022.
In May, TotalEnergies launched a worldwide drone-based emissions detection and quantification campaign across all its upstream oil- and gas-operated sites. To identify, quantify and reduce its methane emissions, the French company’s campaign uses Airborne Ultralight Spectrometer for Environmental Applications (AUSEA) technology that it developed with the French National Research Center for Scientific Research and the University of Reims Champagne Ardenne.
BP Ventures has invested in Flylogix, a UAV maker with a focus on methane detection. Photo courtesy of BP Ventures.
Under development by the partners since 2017, the AUSEA consists of a miniature dual sensor mounted on a drone capable of detecting methane and carbon dioxide emissions while identifying their sources. Measurements can be taken at all types of industrial facilities, onshore or offshore. These supplement findings from traditional techniques such as infrared cameras, ground sensors and satellite.
After being successfully tested, TotalEnergies is rolling out the AUSEA technology globally.
“Considered to be currently the most accurate technology in the world to detect and measure methane emissions, AUSEA will help us to refine our emissions calculations and to take stronger measures to reduce our emissions even further in order to achieve the targets we have set,” said Nimita Shah, president, OneTech, of TotalEnergies.
The AUSEA technology is being further developed to move from a manual to an autonomous mode to increase the frequency of methane emission measurements.
In March, BP Ventures announced a £3 million equity investment in Flylogix, a UAV maker with a focus on methane detection. It combines its UAV with artificial intelligence, satellite communications and methane sensor technology from partner SeekOps to monitor and measure methane in some of the world’s most remote and harsh locations.
“Flylogix has been instrumental in how we undertake measurements of methane emissions in the North Sea.” said David Hayes, managing partner, BP Ventures.
A U.K. company, Flylogix has worked with BP since 2018 to monitor assets across that country’s North Sea deposits. During an emissions-measurement flight, the aircraft manages itself autonomously with pilot oversight from the shore, flying as close as 250 meters from installations. Using technology designed by NASA for the Mars Curiosity Rover, Flylogix livestreams data collected by a SeekOps sensor on its wingtip to an onshore support crew.
“Mounting these detection devices on a drone lifts our service to the next level.“
Mims Talton, CEO, Flogistix
This method of methane monitoring supports BP and the wider industry in its efforts to monitor and drive down emissions without the need for additional people offshore and the cost and carbon emissions associated with that.
“This latest investment will help Flylogix bring our proven UAV technology to new regions and develop applications to realize the potential of unmanned aerial vehicles,” said Charles Tavner, CEO of Flylogix.
Flylogix plans to expand to new geographies, including the U.S., Norway, and Trinidad and Tobago, and to enter the biodiversity and renewable energy industries, conducting wind turbine blade inspections for offshore sites.
VENDORS PARTNER FOR BETTER UAV SOLUTIONS
As with most new technology development, partnering helps speed the process and ease the cost burden.
A little more than a month before the BP Ventures investment, Flylogix and SeekOps announced they’d expanded their strategic partnership after conducting successful emissions surveys on the United Kingdom Continental Shelf (UKCS). The team demonstrated top-down methane emissions measurements for several remote offshore platforms, highlighting an industry-best minimum detection level of 2.5 kilograms/hour. Both companies are now expanding coverage across the rest of the UKCS, as well as deploying UAV missions to the Norwegian Continental Shelf, and the Dutch and Danish sectors of the North Sea.
“We are very excited to extend our collaboration into a wider range of territories, enabling more operators and assets to accurately quantify and report their emissions as they move toward satisfying the requirements of the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0 framework,” said Iain Cooper, CEO at Austin-based SeekOps.
The partners have many flights scheduled this year to jointly help their customers in decarbonization efforts.
“When it comes to emissions, you can’t manage what you can’t measure,” added Flylogix’s Tavner. “And so SeekOps’ ability to quantify the invisible, and our use of long-range unmanned systems to change the paradigm on collecting data in remote environments with minimum personnel or operational disruption, is a potential game-changer for the energy industry.
In June, production optimizer Flogistix and Terrafugia‘s Commaris brand announced a collaboration combining the Commaris’ Seeker UAV with the Flogistix AirMethane program aimed at advancing the speed and accuracy of aerial methane sensing. Commaris, out of Las Vegas, had the Seeker on display at the Energy & Drone Robotics Summit in Houston.
The Seeker is an electric, fixed-wing VTOL hybrid aircraft designed for autonomous commercial aerial applications. It has a long-endurance capability, with more than 3 hours of flight time without a battery change. Its modular design enables assembly and disassembly in the field in less than 3 minutes. Payloads can be customized with a variety of modular options.
TotalEnergies’ AUSEA technology can be fitted to a drone to detect the greenhouse gas emissions from hard-to-reach facilities. Photo courtesy of TotalEnergies.
Flogistix’s new AirMethane program is designed to identify fugitive methane leaks via a drone equipped with a technologically advanced system. It uses OGI camera, sniffer and laser detection capabilities to pinpoint leaks with accuracy for quick resolution. Inspection reports and videos on its Flux performance dashboard allow for timely regulatory reporting and compliance auditing.
Combining the UAV “with sensors we are integrating into the platform, plus Flogistix’s sector experience, operational acumen and proven data delivery capabilities, will position both companies to jointly provide value in the growing field of aerial data collection and delivery,” said Kevin Colburn, president of Commaris.
“Utilizing our methane detection methods is not new to the industry,” added Mims Talton, CEO of Flogistix. “However, mounting these detection devices on a drone lifts our service to the next level. Our leak detection solutions are the most accurate and efficient methods to inspect well pads, pipeline right of ways, compressor stations, and other oil and gas locations. Not only can this method save time, but it is also the safest and most accurate aerial detection available.”
ALL TOGETHER FOR BETTER SYSTEMS
A greater focus on systems engineering, from both the vehicle and software perspectives, is helping to improve inspection and detection.
Drone in a box, an emerging form of autonomous UAV technology, is one of the latest trends coming to methane detection. While traditional UAV systems consist of an unmanned aircraft and some form of ground-based controller, drone in a box solutions deploy autonomously from a container that also functions as a landing pad and charging base. After carrying out a flight plan, they return to their base to charge and/or upload information.
According to the company, Israel-based Percepto has the only drone in a box solution with an integrated OGI camera. In July, the company announced a new partnership with Hellenic Drones to boost adoption of autonomous drones within the oil and gas and solar farm industries in Greece and Cyprus. The partners demonstrated drones with OGI in a refinery near Athens, one of the first such demos performed within the oil and gas sector.
“Percepto’s end-to-end system will offer new possibilities for the oil and gas and solar farm industries to be in compliance with regulations and ensure consistent operations without interruption,” Hellenic Drones’ Co-founder/CEO Dimitrios Skliros said.
More significantly, the drone in a box can be paired with Percepto’s Autonomous Inspection and Monitoring (AIM) software for industrial sites such as oil refineries. The solution combines drones and ground robots to automate inspections, as well as emergency response and security. In April, AIM won two awards at AUVSI’s XPONENTIAL conference.
With AIM, sites can automate remote inspections of critical infrastructure without a human operator. From data capture to AI-powered insights and reports, Percepto is the only end-to-end automated inspection solution on the market, according to the company.
“We are in a new era of autonomous commercial drone operations that provide end-to-end solutions, delivering whole new levels of safety, security and efficiency for industrial operations,” Percepto Co-founder/CEO Dor Abuhasira said.
The solution enables remote site monitoring to run inspections and provide situational awareness at high altitudes and hard-to-reach locations, collecting data without risking employee safety. Robots can run inspections around the clock, unbound by the availability of pilots or employees.
Most significantly, the technology integrates robots and sensors in a system to collect and manage visual data from any device, all in one place.
Next step of the Energy UTM trials is proving the functionality of the UTM system created by AIRmarket, in conjunction with several key partners.
Transport Canada and NAV Canada are on site to actively review the services to support a simulated BVLOS flight.
This week, AIRmarket is flying 200 km per day, to prove BVLOS can be conducted using SKYLINK UTM services. Key officials from Transport Canada and NAV Canada will be onsite at the AIRmarket flight operations centre to observe and evaluate this system.
This is a significant next step included in the Energy UTM trials. It is being conducted in alignment with the TC Energy Grand Rapids corridor, and leverages the TELUS cellular network and infrastructure. This showcases actual UTM services deployed within Canadian airspace. AIRmarket is flying the ARTL03 (Cobalt 110) drone from Bruderheim AB to Boyle, AB, along the TC Energy Grand Rapids Pipeline Right of Way.
These flights are testing a digital conspicuity model in cooperation with Transport Canada and NAV Canada. Canada’s national regulators are present to inspect what will become a reality from a regulatory aspect: Proving cellular services for BVLOS flight operations.
A screenshot of the SKYLINK UTM system showing all of the manned aircraft in the area.
This is a culmination of work that includes input and support from a variety of strategic partners. This includes Alberta Innovates, LookNorth, PTAC, TC Energy, TELUS, UAvionix, ASTRA, SIMNET, Drone Log Book, Transport Canada, NAV Canada, INVOLI, and AltaML.
This establishes the foundation for commercial BVLOS flight operations in Alberta.
Stay tuned for future posts covering more information about the development of the UTM system.
Dragonfire, the UK’s Laser Directed Energy Programme (LDEW) led by MBDA, has successfully begun a series of trials to prove the accuracy and power of the novel laser weapon.
The first of these trials recently conducted by the Dragonfire consortium – a joint industry and UK MOD collaboration between MBDA, Leonardo, QinetiQ and Dstl – at low power proved the system can successfully track air and sea targets with exceptionally high accuracy.
This success has paved the way for the next phase of the trials that will deliver a first for UK industry when carrying out a static high-power laser trial, while maintaining aimpoint accuracy. The next step would then look to combine the outcomes of these two trials, pairing the recently proven tracking accuracy and the high power laser, by engaging targets in operationally representative scenarios.
Chris Allam, Managing Director of MBDA UK, said, “The success of these trials is a key step in the development of sovereign laser directed energy weapons. It is the culmination of a lot of hard work from both the industry and Dstl teams, overcoming disruption due to COVID and technical challenges from the use of unique innovations in Dragonfire that are testing the very limits of what is physically possible in the laser weapons domain.”
The essential challenge of an LDEW system is safely controlling and focusing high laser power onto an extremely precise point, at long range. The tracking trial was an excellent test of the component parts of the Dragonfire tracking system working together to do this.
This trial used a low power QinetiQ laser, Leonardo’s beam director and MBDAs Image Processing and Control technology to facilitate the ultra-precise “fine” pointing and tracking accuracy, which will be required to generate the damage effect when a high-powered laser will be used.
Other sub systems including the C2, Effector Management System (EMS) and “coarse” tracking – turning the laser towards the target – were also proved in the trial.
Compared with traditional batteries, Diamond solid-state li-ion battery achieves both safety and performance improvement, whichfeatures high energy density, high discharge rate and high safety performance, small size and lightweight.
Take 6S 22000mAh solid-state li-ion battery as an example:
6S 22000mAh solid-state li-ion battery is only 1963g, with 251.7Wh/kg energy density, the continuous discharge rate is 5C, Max. discharge rate is 10C. It also has a long cycle life, over 600 times.
Compared with Li-ion battery, the Diamond Solid-state Li-ion battery has higher discharge current. The discharge interval of each battery cell is from 2.7v to 4.2v. But the discharge rate is about 5 times higher than that of Li-ion battery.
Compared with traditional lipo battery, the Diamond Solid-state Li-ion battery has light weight and higher energy density. Its energy density increased by 30%-35%, even 20% higher than that of high-voltage version lipo battery. So the drone endurance time will be increased by 20%-35% by using the Diamond Solid-state Li-ion battery.
Diamond Solid-state Li-ion battery supports Max.10C discharge and Max. 2C charge, there is no obvious heating during 7C discharge. The recommended discharge rate is 1C-5C to achieve the maximum discharge capacity, charging with 1C current to improve battery life.
Diamond Solid-state Li-ion battery is suitable for most UAVs or other electrical equipment that requires long endurance time: Agriculture drone, Industrial multicopter and VTOL, Robots, Surface ship etc. Like GAIA 160 series drone, GAIA160S hexacopter, RHEA 160 hexacopter, Great Shark VTOL and Baby Shark VTOL, by using semi-solid state battery the flight time will be greatly increased!
Dominion Energy Obtains Waiver for Operation of Skydio Drones
by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian M Crosby
Today, Dominion Energy and Skydio announced that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted the energy company an approval to operate Skydio drones beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) for the inspection of power generation facilities in seven states.
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The waiver enables operators to fly drones beyond their line of sight without the need of an additional crew member or technology to detect crewed aircraft. Skydio’s AI technology provides the pilot with the ability to safely fly in a closer proximity to structures than would be possible with a drone utilizing less advanced technology. The waiver will allow Dominion Energy to conduct scaled BVLOS operations to inspect over 40 power facilities throughout Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. There, the drones will take volumetric measurements and assess construction progress, provide surveying and mapping services, and inspect infrastructure.
“A 20-minute inspection by a battery-powered drone will increase safety for our colleagues, who will no longer need to rappel down the side of a structure, as well as save time during inspection-related preparations,” said Nate Robie, Dominion Energy’s manager of unmanned systems program. “As a pioneer in beyond visual line of sight drone use, Dominion Energy contributes to a safer, greener future, as well as potentially lowering operations and maintenance costs, which ultimately benefits our customers.”
These operations will be carried out using Skydio’s X2 drone, a durable, foldable aircraft utilizing the Skydio Autonomy flight engine. Skydio Autonomy allows for safe navigation within any environment, even without GPS, due to its 360° obstacle avoidance. The USA-made Skydio X2 meets all supply chain and cyber security requirements necessary for inspecting critical infrastructure.
“This pivotal approval brings Dominion Energy, Skydio and the entire drone industry one step closer to advanced drone operations at scale,” said Jenn Player, Skydio’s Director of Regulatory Affairs. “When it comes to scaling beyond visual line of sight operations, having an intelligent drone makes all the difference and Skydio was proud to support Dominion Energy in obtaining this waiver that enables them to inspect critically important facilities.”
Leading Virginia’s BEYOND team, MAAP’s work has regularly resulted in industry-leading landmark authorizations and operations. MAAP works alongside the FAA, as well as other federal agencies and leading companies, on research and advanced testing to develop innovative new solutions.
“Two major goals of the research we conduct as an FAA-designated test site are helping companies like Dominion develop practical ways to use drones to make their operations safer and more efficient, and working with drone companies like Skydio to find opportunities to leverage the real power of their technology to make new kinds of operations possible,” said MAAP director Tombo Jones. “This waiver achieves both of those things and is a real win for us in our efforts in the BEYOND program. We’re excited to see the difference it will make for Dominion and Skydio now, and what it lays the groundwork for in the future.”
Read more about Skydio drones:
Ian attended Dominican University of California, where he received a BA in English in 2019. With a lifelong passion for writing and storytelling and a keen interest in technology, he is now contributing to DroneLife as a staff writer.
Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies. For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
Every year, the Energy Drone & Robotics Coalition hosts a three-day Summit. It attracts, connects and informs thousands of worldwide industrial uncrewed leaders in the rapidly growing energy sector. DroneLife contributor Dawn Zoldi is at the event, providing coverage of some of the key challenges and solutions being discussed for operating drones, satellites, and robotics successfully, from the stars to the sea floor.
Aerodyne Group Showcases Local BVLOS with Remote Operations in Malaysia at Energy Drone & Robotics Coalition Summit
by Dawn Zoldi
Aerodyne Group, the global DT3 (drone technology, data technology & digital transformation) enterprise solutions provider with its headquarters in Cyberjaya, Malaysia, has launched the first-of-its-kind localized remote operations beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone project in Malaysia. This Nested Intelligent System (FULCRUM) eventually will conduct pipeline right-of-way (ROW) monitoring and encroachment assessments autonomously over a span of more than 1630 miles.
Continue reading below, or listen:
Malaysian energy companies currently use helicopters to monitor potential pipeline ROW encroachments. Given the expense of these flights, which average $150,000 USD a mission, current inspection cycles consist of a single deployment once every six months.
Targeted foot patrols supplement these flights, on an as-needed basis, after the aircraft verifies an encroachment. These manual inspections involve sending, on average, two people into remote locations, for 8 hours at a time. Obvious dangers aside, it costs about $500 USD each time humans deploy for a closer look to validate potential pipeline problems.
Aerodyne, the #1 Global Drone Service Provider in 2021 according to Drone Industry Insights, plans to digitally transform these pipeline inspections using its proprietary drone-in-a-box (DIB) or Nested Drone System (NDS) solutions called Aerodyne FULCRUM. This DIB or NDS in general, have been proven to increase the safety, efficiency and quality of data collection and analysis across the energy sector.
Aerodyne FULCRUM will autonomously launch uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) to fly either on pre-programmed flight plans or ad-hoc requests over pipeline ROWs to collect close-in data. The drone will return to a highly sophisticated, self-contained, and networked landing box for battery swap and safe keeping. Each compact unit weighs slightly more than 200lbs and can fit on the back of a pick-up truck. It can charge up to six batteries simultaneously and the system can automatically swap out a drone’s battery in less than 90 seconds.
During the initial phase of the project, the company will strategically locate thirteen units of FULCRUM systems at multiple sites within a Block Valve Stations compound along the ROW. Each drone will collect data and monitor the encroachment for up to a five-mile radius around the nest, on a 24/7 basis.
As part of this Phase 1, Aerodyne will also need to overcome significant challenges. Maintaining stable communications, cyber security, and system reliability in Malaysia’s tropical environment, rank highest among these.
Once the company proves the value proposition for drones in pipeline inspections, subsequent project phases will add increasing autonomy and extend the drones’ flight parameters even further. For the next phase, Aerodyne is planning to showcase the BVLOS operations up to 60 miles in Q3, 2022.
According to Harjeet Johal, company lead for North America, Mexico and the Caribbean, Aerodyne FULCRUM will radically change the battle rhythm for pipeline inspections by providing a safe, reliable, cost effective and autonomous around-the-clock capability. “Our Nested Drone System will enable energy companies to rapidly scale, digitally transform, operate safely and increase productivity,” he said.
Civil Aviation Authorities of Malaysian (CAAM) provided special BVLOS approval to conduct these operations. As in the United States and many other countries across the globe, BVLOS drone operations are the exception to the general rule that requires a remote pilot to maintain visual line of sight of the aircraft.
According to Johal, Aerodyne addressed ground risk by planning its flights over unpopulated areas and establishing geo-fences around the pipeline ROWs. Each drone also includes a parachute capability to reduce potential ground risk, when or if necessary. Air risk mitigations include publishing Notices to Air Missions (NOTAMs) during drone operations. An operations center will also maintain radio communications with air traffic control (ATC) and provide ATC with real-time flight telemetry data.
In this case, the BVLOS approval took several months. It involved a pre-application meeting to submit a draft SORA plan to the CAA, followed by a formal application meeting. Document reviews and evaluations of the SORA, concept of operations and risk mitigations preceded capabilities demonstrations, the final step for approval.
“We are taking a crawl-walk-run approach in Malaysia,” said Johal. “Our team is excited to start crawling with short-range autonomous BVLOS operations, with the ultimate goal of country-wide pipeline monitoring flights that can be remotely conducted”
Long range BVLOS flights in Malaysia will involve onboard detect-and-avoid technology and integration with an UAS traffic management system.
Stay tuned for more as the company continues to bend the global tech curve. It is on target to resolve the complex industrial challenges for the energy sector in Malaysia and beyond.
Read more about Aerodyne:
Dawn M.K. Zoldi (Colonel, USAF, Retired) is a licensed attorney with 28 years of combined active duty military and federal civil service to the U.S. Air Force. She is the CEO & Founder of P3 Tech Consulting and an internationally recognized expert on uncrewed aircraft system law and policy. Zoldi contributes to several magazines and hosts popular tech podcasts. Zoldi is also an Adjunct Professor for two universities, at the undergraduate and graduate levels. In 2022, she received the Airwards People’s Choice Industry Impactor Award, was recognized as one of the Top Women to Follow on LinkedIn and listed in the eVTOL Insights 2022 PowerBook. For more information, follow her on social media and visit her website at: https://www.p3techconsulting.com.
Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies. For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
Dominion Energy Obtains Waiver for Operation of Skydio Drones
Ian attended Dominican University of California, where he received a BA in English in 2019. With a lifelong passion for writing and storytelling and a keen interest in technology, he is now contributing to DroneLife as a staff writer.
Every year, the
Dawn M.K. Zoldi (Colonel, USAF, Retired) is a licensed attorney with 28 years of combined active duty military and federal civil service to the U.S. Air Force. She is the CEO & Founder of P3 Tech Consulting and an internationally recognized expert on uncrewed aircraft system law and policy. Zoldi contributes to several magazines and hosts popular tech podcasts. Zoldi is also an Adjunct Professor for two universities, at the undergraduate and graduate levels. In 2022, she received the Airwards People’s Choice Industry Impactor Award, was recognized as one of the Top Women to Follow on LinkedIn and listed in the eVTOL Insights 2022 PowerBook. For more information, follow her on social media and visit her website at: