Drone inspection company secures 7.5 million secured to expand into renewables

Funds will also contribute to automated data analysis

Germany-based aerial data analytics company, DroneBase, announced it has raised $7.5 million in Series C funding, expanding its renewable energy services with its new platform DroneBase Insights for Wind and Solar.

New investors Valor Equity Partners and Razi Ventures joined Union Square Ventures (USV), Upfront Ventures, Hearst Ventures, Pritzker Group Venture Capital and DJI and brought the total funding to $32 million.

The DroneBase platform will allow customers to use drones to inspect a wind turbine’s components through an autonomous flight system, offering consistent data, actionable insights and lifecycle management. The platform leverages machine learning algorithms to pre-screen images without damage and focus customers’ attention on potential issues, said the company.

Through DroneBase’s thermal pilot network, the platform gathers data that otherwise would not be visible. Thermal sensors are used to detect anomalies such as hot spots and defects on solar panels. The platform will also be able to detect issues with wind and solar fields in the future.

With flight operations in all 50 states, and over 70 countries, DroneBase can continue to fly missions to ensure safety of pilots and customers during this time, despite COVID-19.

“DroneBase has been instrumental in helping us scale solar asset inspection and analysis across North America,” said Jamie Mordarski, Director of Operations and Maintenance, Americas at SMA.