RES’ Smart Pilot tech now flies on smaller, lower-cost drones 

São Paulo, Brazil – 26 October 2026 – RES, the world’s largest independent renewable energy company, has made its Smart Pilot turbine blade inspection technology available for smaller drones, including the DJI Matrice 4E. These smaller drones cost less than their larger counterparts and deliver comparable image quality in good conditions, giving wind farm owners a lower-cost way to inspect their fleets. RES will demonstrate the technology on its stand at Brazil Wind Power, taking place in São Paulo from 27 to 29 October. 

Announced by RES’ Digital Solutions business in June, Smart Pilot automates wind blade inspections in a single turbine stop. Traditionally, inspecting a turbine’s three blades meant stopping it three times, with a separate drone flight for each. Smart Pilot replaces this with a single automated stop. 

Smart Pilot 3, released in September, flies all three blades without stopping, cutting inspection time to just 25 minutes on a G97 turbine, compared with 50 to 70 minutes previously. That is 30 to 40 minutes faster than competitors, saving at least 500 operating hours across a fleet of nearly 1,200 turbines. A single crew can now inspect more than 10 turbines a day. Positioning the rotor only once also helps on turbines stopped from the nacelle, and in low wind. 

Smart Pilot also keeps blade data consistent from site to site as operators lean more on it to plan maintenance, extend asset life and manage cost. Training is completed remotely, so inspection teams can be operational within half a day. 

Rea Meisinger, Vice President, Digital Blades at RES, said: “The key achievement with Smart Pilot is not a single feature, but the integration of automation, reduced downtime and high quality data capture on standard drone hardware. This combination allows inspection teams to deploy quickly, operate consistently and scale globally without relying on proprietary equipment.” 

Boanerges Jatahy, General Manager Latin America at RES, said: “Bringing Smart Pilot to smaller drones, with inspections in as little as 25 minutes, puts high-quality inspections within reach of far more operators, and we’re looking forward to showing it in action at Brazil Wind Power.”  

As operators look to reduce turbine downtime and O&M costs, tools such as Smart Pilot point clearly to where blade inspection is heading: faster, more consistent, more affordable and built on hardware inspection teams already know how to fly. 

ENDS 

Notes to editors 

• Images comparing blade inspection photographs from the previous set-up and the DJI Matrice 4E are available on request. 

About RES 

RES is the world’s largest independent renewable energy company, working across 24 countries and active in wind, solar, energy storage, green hydrogen, transmission, and distribution. An industry innovator for over 40 years, RES has delivered more than 29GW of renewable energy projects across the globe and plans to bring more than 26GW of new capacity online in the next five years. 

As a service provider, RES has the skills and experience in asset management, operations and maintenance (O&M), and spare parts – supporting 45GW of renewable assets. RES brings to the market a range of purposeful, practical technology-based products and digital solutions designed to maximise investment and deployment of renewable energy. 

RES is the power behind a clean energy future where everyone has access to affordable zero carbon energy bringing together global experience, passion, and the innovation of its 4,500 people to transform the way energy is generated, stored and supplied. Visit: www.res-group.com 

CONTACT FOR MORE INFORMATION: 

Rory Brown 

Senior External Communications & Corporate Affairs Manager, RES 

+44 7436 144 750 

[email protected]