Business Case
Identifying applications for inspection drones in the energy sector
For an engineering unit of a major French energy company, SURFEO studied the European inspection drone market to identify players and concrete use cases.
Drones are becoming established in the inspection of hard-to-reach infrastructure
EASA explicitly cites the inspection of power lines and wind turbines among the infrastructure uses of drones. Europe has more than 1.6 million registered operators [1][2].
An engineering unit of a major French energy company wanted to assess the opportunities offered by inspection drones in its business areas.
SURFEO analysed the target markets, identified the players, conducted field interviews and presented its findings for the European scope.
Decision at stake
Identify the concrete use cases and the players to consider in order to assess the opportunity presented by inspection drones.
Scope
Europe · inspection drones · target markets · players · field interviews · use cases.
A European opportunity study built around uses and the ecosystem
Frame the markets
Analyse the target markets relevant to drone inspection.
Identify the players
Map the players to consider in the European ecosystem.
Consult the field
Gather feedback from players through field interviews.
Qualify the uses
Present the findings and identify concrete cases for the client.
Infrastructure inspection is a recognised use case in an already structured European market
Key facts about the European drone framework
Sources: EASA and European Commission [1][2][3].
Recognised use
EASA cites power lines and wind turbines among the infrastructure inspected by drone [1].
Operator base
EASA counts more than 1.6 million registered drone operators in Europe [2].
Common framework
The European framework divides operations into three risk-based categories [3].
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