Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or drones, have become a resource for driving sustainability efforts across the nation. Drones are increasingly being used to conduct studies and gather data on different environments and inspect important infrastructure, such as wind turbines and solar farms. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, there are several instances where drones have been used for sustainability reasons, from supporting wildlife conservation efforts in the North Atlantic Ocean, to managing and recovering from wildfires.
Drones can be a great resource for sustainability through closely monitoring different ecosystems, various wildlife, and habitats without having to disturb them. When it comes to supporting conservation efforts, drones can provide invaluable resources and data to conservationists. When equipped with advanced sensors and cameras, our UAVs can survey vast landscapes and ecosystems with exceptional detail and efficiency. Drones empower conservation efforts through the protection of biodiversity while addressing environmental challenges, such as the extinction of varying species. According to the Nature Conservancy, drones are increasingly being used for conservation efforts across the U.S., particularly with a project they have done in Boulder, Colorado in advancing their conservation work through examining and surveying the land that is hard to reach by foot. The Conservancy’s drones tracked the species of Bison native to the Boulder area and the health of the Cottonwood trees through this project.
Drones provide a great resource to farmers to take proactive measures towards optimizing their crop management. With high-resolution imagery and multispectral sensing, drones can employ precision farming techniques through the monitoring of crop health, irrigation needs, and pest detection. These actionable insights can maximize crop yields, which contributes to a more sustainable farming process while minimizing the usage of pesticides, water, and excess fertilizer. According to the USDA, food waste in the United States is estimated to be between 30-40 percent of the food supply due to a variety of issues which include damage by pest infestations and insufficient crop health monitoring. UAVs can then be a great resource to decrease the amount of food loss in the U.S. and work toward lessening food waste across the nation.
When considering the necessary maintenance of renewable energy infrastructure, such as wind turbines and solar farms, drones are a valuable resource for inspecting for any potential maintenance issues. Our drones can detect and identify defects or malfunction issues, which can
optimize the lifespan of renewable energy infrastructure. Drone usage in the energy sector presents an additional benefit of minimizing operational downtime and prioritizing safety. Some areas of renewable energy infrastructures can be dangerous to inspect on foot or vehicle, depending on terrain or outdoor conditions, to which UAVs can provide a safer method of gathering necessary data. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, a report was done that found that drones cut the time to inspect a wind turbine compared to traditional methods by up to 50 percent.
When compared to more traditional methods such as utilizing manned aircraft or ground vehicles, drones can consume less fuel that will produce less carbon emissions while performing inspections or aerial surveys. Therefore, overall carbon footprint is reduced when vehicles that utilize mass amounts of fossil fuels are replaced with drones, contributing to environmental sustainability efforts. Drones have also been utilized for emergency services in disaster recovery services such as providing aid for wildfires. According to the FAA they can analyze the situation in real time and replant trees in the aftermath of the disaster, which they have been able to do in areas like California since 2015.
In conclusion, UAVs can be at the forefront of sustainability practices and be a source of environmental consciousness. Here at SURVAIR, our UAVs can offer more efficient and sustainable alternatives to more traditional methods. As we watch technology advance and evolve and support the expansion of drone usage, we will see how UAVs will continue to provide a sustainable option to various industries. SURVAIR is dedicated to providing top-of-the-line services to our clients on any project while supporting sustainability efforts through the use of UAVs.
Soures:
https://www.faa.gov/sustainability/drones-for-good
https://www.unsustainablemagazine.com/drones-and-sustainability-5-ways/
https://www.usda.gov/foodwaste/faqs
https://medium.com/faa/drones-revolutionize-wildland-firefighting-bc71a29d7984
Contact:
Victoria Cagley - marketing@survair.com
Editor: Andrew Demarest
