Investing in solar power for Northland
Accelerating solar infrastructure delivery, Northpower expanded Te Puna Mauri ō Omaru while engaging communities in renewable electrification.
Inspection Solutions trial of drone in a box
Location: Te Puna Mauri ō Omaru solar farm, Ruawai
Start date: November 2025
Completion date: March 2026
Project client: Northpower Renewables
Project partners: Inspection Solutions
Annual Report 2026
A smarter way to inspect solar at scale
Northpower identified an opportunity to improve inspection efficiency and asset assurance across its solar generation sites. Our Inspection Solutions team partnered with our Renewables team to deliver a four‑month drone‑in‑a‑box trial at Te Puna Mauri ō Omaru solar farm, demonstrating how autonomous drone technology can support safer, faster and more consistent inspection outcomes across large‑scale assets.
Our Inspection Solutions team consists of highly experienced asset inspection engineers dedicated to ensuring the resilience and reliability of electricity networks.
20000+
images captured during the trial
~20MWdc
of solar generation inspected
20000+
panels surveyed
Deploying autonomous inspection capability
Our drone pilots trialled a drone‑in‑a‑box solution combining a DJI Matrice M4TD and DJI Dock 3, enabling automated launches, recoveries and climate‑controlled storage on site. Starlink connectivity supported remote monitoring and near real‑time data transfer, with flights planned and managed remotely. Working alongside a New Zealand drone supplier, our teams captured thermal (infrared) and high‑resolution RGB imagery to verify panel performance, assess structural condition and support proactive maintenance planning. Imagery was processed into orthomosaic maps by solar block, giving Northpower Renewables a detailed view of the condition of the asset.
Managing safety and operational risk
Safety was managed through a combination of remote operations, on‑site observers and structured flight planning. The use of autonomous flights significantly reduced the need for personnel to access operational areas, while real‑time monitoring ensured safe operation in all conditions. Following a fault in early January, the drone‑in‑a‑box solution was rapidly deployed to complete a full‑site inspection, identifying minor thermal anomalies and allowing maintenance teams to target follow‑up inspections efficiently.
Building future capability
This trial demonstrated a fully integrated autonomous inspection workflow that reduces on-site effort while improving consistency, repeatability, and data quality. While focused on solar generation, the learnings are transferable across other networks, including substations, switchyards and overhead lines. The project marks the first trial of its type for our Inspection Solutions team and forms an important step in building deeper remote inspection capability that can be scaled across the business and client’s networks to support safe, high‑quality asset management.
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