AirForestry, a company that has developed new technology for thinning forests with the help of drones, has partnered with Vattenfall Network Solutions to deliver a 100kWh mobile energy storage system that enables the drone to be charged fossil-free.
AirForestry thins the forest from the air with a 60kg lightweight harvesting tool, which is flown out with the fully charged high-capacity drone directly to the area to be thinned. Once there, the tool grips the top of the tree, hugs it tightly, then de-limbs the tree so it can shear off the trunk. The tree is then held in the tool’s grip and the drone flies the tree and tool all the way to the nearest road.
“With the battery from Vattenfall, we’ve the last piece in the puzzle for a completely fossil-free thinning system,” said Gösta Forsén, chief integration officer at AirForestry.
The energy storage system is placed on a trailer for mobility, for ease of access and transport, the collaboration said.
The project is planned to continue through 2022 and if it goes well, additional energy storage systems will be delivered.
“This partnership involves us hiring out a mobile battery storage system that creates opportunities in the field, where there’s no power supply. This is good for both the climate and the forest environment,” said Anders Skarin, product manager for energy storage at Vattenfall Network Solutions.Â
Demand is growing for Vattenfall’s mobile battery solutions, the company added. At present, Network Solutions has a number of energy storage stations hired out to various companies, and the product range enables them to keep in line with Vattenfall’s strategy of enabling fossil-free living within one generation. The strategy covers the entire value chain, leading to collaborations with companies that are also putting in significant efforts to minimise its carbon footprint.
