Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) is making increasing use of drone technology as part of its Sirb (Arabic for fleet) initiative, launched last year.

Sirb contains a fleet of high-end drones used to support Dubai’s infrastructure and contribute to providing efficient and easy-to-use services.

Dewa has improved its use of the technology to cover various domains including topographic surveys, operational efficiency, thermal inspection, photovoltaic panel maintenance, and early detection, using thermal imaging, to identify overhead power lines.

This limits risks, reduces costs, enables quick-response times and ensures accuracy, making it easier to make informed decisions, Dewa said.

The drones use state-of-the-art upgradable technologies such as high-definition cameras that are equipped with night-vision, lasers and GPS sensors, and can measure pressure, height, magnetic fields, and use ultrasound scanning.

“Dewa uses drone technology in its Sirb initiative, to improve its operational efficiency, and provide seamless and easy-to-use services according to the highest international standards, to make everyone happier," said Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, managing director and CEO of Dewa.

Dewa uses different types of drones in its Sirb fleet. These range from fixed-wing to multi-rotor drones, which are capable of searching for, and identifying, oil spills and red tide. The drones can collect samples from any location within a 20-km radius. The initiative improves Dewa’s operational efficiency by accelerating operations, increasing safety during regular network-testing and maintenance, to accurately detecting failures. It also helps to carry out in-field surveys for Dewa’s development projects.

The company presented four of its drones at the second UAE Drones for Good Award, where it conducted a live demonstration of its Hydro Drone, which is used for water sampling from different locations and depths around the desalination plants. - TradeArabia News Service