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Aerial PV offers drone- and ground-based inspection capabilities for rapid solar inspection and diagnostics. Image: Intertek.

Quality assurance (QA) provider Intertek has acquired Aerial PV Inspection (AePVI), a specialist in drone-enabled solar site inspections.

Based in Germany, AePVI is active in the European solar market, combining drone- and ground-based inspection technologies with proprietary digital software for high-speed inspections and diagnostic solutions for large PV projects.

It will be integrated into the Intertek CEA business line, created following Intertek’s 2022 acquisition of the prominent supply chain and technical advisory firm Clean Energy Associates.

The parent company said AePVI’s acquisition was “highly complementary” to Intertek CEA’s activities, adding enhanced drone-based data collection and analysis of operational PV assets to its “factory-to-field” solar QA services.

“With AePVI’s cutting-edge technology, Intertek CEA will gain a speed advantage while inspecting large solar farms, enabling superior customer service, increased productivity and enhanced capacity,” Intertek said in a statement.

Intertek’s CEO, André Lacroix, said: “Solar is a vital pillar of the global energy transition, and demand for fast-paced risk-based quality assurance is intensifying. We welcome the AePVI team and look forward to seizing the exciting growth opportunities that come from combining Intertek’s industry-leading portfolio of ATIC solutions and global network with AePVI’s advanced technologies.”

By Ben Willis