What to know about drone-in-a-box technology for utility-scale solar O&M & Construction

Tuesday, 20. May 2025
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm CEST, Berlin, Madrid, Paris | 10:00 am – 11:00 am CDT, Chicago | 11:00 am – 12:00 pm EDT, New York City

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Drone-in-a-box (DIAB) technology has several applications for utility-scale solar operations and maintenance (O&M). Deployed wisely, it can simplify performance tracking, enhance site management, and mitigate risk across various stages of a project’s lifecycle. In this pv magazine Webinar, we will see how it works and discuss how to implement it.

For large-scale solar plants, the risks of weather-induced damage and other preventable losses such as module degradation and underperformance are an ongoing concern.

DIAB technology has the potential to streamline operations and boost performance, especially in remote areas. Simply speaking, it’s a drone inside a docking station equipped with RGB and thermal cameras . The hardware is connected to a software platform that provides analytics and insights to O&M personnel.

However, while DIAB offers significant benefits in reducing operational costs and enhancing asset performance, it also presents notable technical challenges. These include poorly defined panel edges, shading from vegetation, hotspot distortion and lens faults. It is imperative to know how to leverage DIAB otherwise it will not deliver many practical benefits.

Joining us to discuss the pros and cons of DIAB and provide insight into the types of projects it can work well for, are experienced drone pilot and operations coordinator at Zeitview, Stephen Bossert, and Thomas Amsüss, business development manager at Zeitview.

As well as giving an overview of how DIAB works for solar O&M, they will talk about best practices for implementation, ideal project scenarios, cost-saving potential and efficiency benefits of remote monitoring using DIAB.

They will also show us a real-life demonstration of DIAB technology in action. And we will explore the outlook for DIAB and how it might advance in the future with more innovation.

pv magazine webinar Content:

Overview of DIAB and its potential benefits for solar O&M
Cost saving and automation benefits
Challenges and what to avoid
Ideal project scenarios
Case study
Future outlook
Q&A

Key takeaways:

Understanding of DIAB and its use case in utility-scale solar O&M.
The ability to assess whether DIAB can deliver value for a given project.
Critical factors for successful implementation

We encourage you to take part in the discussion and ask questions, which can be submitted beforehand or through a chat window during the webinar. This webinar will be moderated by Blathnaid O’Dea, features editor at pv magazine.

Registration for this pv magazine Webinar is free of charge.

Speakers

Thomas Amsüss | Business Development Manager, Zeitview

Thomas has been on the Business Development Team at Zeitview for over 5 years, engaging primarily with our European and Latin American clients. Thomas has an IMBA from Schulich School of Business and is fluent in English, German, and Spanish.

Stephen Bossert | Operations Coordinator, Zeitview

Stephen Bossert is an Operations Coordinator at Zeitview, where he leverages nearly five years of experience in advanced UAS operations to support beyond‑visual‑line‑of‑sight (BVLOS) implementation, waiver applications, and rigorous testing protocols. Before joining Zeitview in July 2024, Stephen spent almost four years as a UAS Pilot with BNSF Railway, conducting flight-testing of cutting‑edge sUAS platforms and developing reliability testing cards for multiple BVLOS waivers. He began his career as a UAS Flight Instructor and SOP co‑author at California Baptist University, training students across a variety of unmanned platforms. Stephen holds a B.S. in Aviation Unmanned Systems from California Baptist University and is an FAA‑certified Commercial Pilot, CFI, and Remote Pilot.

Moderators

Blathnaid O'Dea | Editor, pv magazine

Blathnaid is Features Editor with pv magazine Global. Prior to joining the team in 2024, she specialized in writing feature-length articles about STEM careers.