Hu Xinyi, a young entrepreneur from the Thousand Sails Action: In one or two years, we can achieve a completely unmanned process from flight launch to report generation with just one click!

The SNEC 2019 International Solar Photovoltaic and Smart Energy Exhibition, one of China's largest and most influential events, recently concluded in Shanghai. As a globally recognized annual international photovoltaic event, SNEC annually brings together global photovoltaic companies and achievements, and is hailed as a bellwether for photovoltaic trends.

Hu Xinyi accepted an exclusive interview with a reporter from Century New Energy Network

To break down the previously relatively high barriers to drone use, we must truly leverage intelligent technology to create an extremely user-friendly drone system. "In a year or two, we'll be able to achieve fully unmanned operations, from flight launch to report generation, with a single click!" said Hu Xinyi, founder and CEO of Shanghai Boonray Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., in an interview with Century New Energy Network.

A drone-based intelligent photovoltaic power station inspection system

Establishing an intelligent dispatching system

"Make More Sense," creating more value. Shanghai Boonray Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Boonray Technology) has been focusing on industrial applications in the drone field for many years. Boonray Technology has been a global leader in ubiquitous robotics technology, dedicated to empowering traditional industries through robotics, AI, the Internet of Things, and other related technologies, creating enterprise-level intelligent operations solutions.

Boonray Technology showcased its products at the SNEC 2019 Shanghai exhibition. "Strictly speaking, the new product we're launching is a drone-based intelligent photovoltaic power station inspection system, integrating new drone, IoT, and AI technologies with photovoltaic inspection scenarios," explained Boonray Technology founder and CEO Hu Xinyi. Within the system, drones, which require no operator intervention, upload captured thermal imaging images and other data files to the system's cloud-based big data processing center. The data is then intelligently analyzed and identified, ultimately generating results. This replaces manual labor in identifying issues like hot spots and defects on photovoltaic panels, creating an intelligent dispatching system. Currently, State Power Investment Corporation's Nanchang power station has achieved unmanned operation. Drones are stationed on-site, and at the touch of a button, the drones are dispatched to collect the required data.

Drones can serve as a very fast and effective supplement.

Starting to expand into overseas markets such as Southeast Asia

Currently, EPC monitoring in the photovoltaic market mostly relies on contact-based monitoring of current. "Drone monitoring indicators primarily focus on surface hot spots. This allows for early detection of hot spots and defects on photovoltaic panels before the monitoring system detects any changes, enabling preventive measures. This is a key concept within Industry 4.0: from the moment a problem occurs to the implementation of measures and then to early prediction. This is the trend we are leading." Hu Xinyi explained that, in terms of data collection, not all power plants can deploy numerous real-time monitoring systems on a large scale. Drones can serve as a very fast and effective supplement, collecting data very efficiently. For example, a 100MW power plant can collect all the required data in about two days. After integrating the data, a comprehensive diagnostic report is provided to provide customer service. This is a growing trend both domestically and internationally.

When asked about Boonray Technology's current market presence, Hu Xinyi explained that the company's products serve power plants with a capacity of approximately 10GW. There are currently many photovoltaic power plants in China, and the government encourages innovation and is willing to provide applications for innovative high-tech companies like Boonray Technology. Currently, the company's products primarily serve the domestic market. The company's next step is to expand overseas, as the photovoltaic markets in Asia and Southeast Asia are also booming. Following this trend, the company will undoubtedly expand into overseas markets such as Southeast Asia. Boonray Technology's Case Study Is More Than Just a Spotlight Economy

Increasingly, Evidence of Its Practical Value

In recent years, the gradual reduction of subsidies has forced companies to "reduce costs and increase efficiency." In this industry environment, companies are striving for survival, growth, and profits. "Cost reduction and efficiency improvement" is an inevitable requirement for market development, and it aligns with the ultimate goal of achieving grid parity for photovoltaic power generation in the future.

Speaking of "cost reduction and efficiency improvement," Hu Xinyi expressed a particular affinity for the term. "'Cost reduction and efficiency improvement' permeates Boonray Technology's core values. Our core value is to reduce costs and increase efficiency for our customers. For the company, we don't want to launch new products or technologies that simply attract attention. After over three years of application in photovoltaic power stations, we've seen significant results, both in terms of manpower savings and overall operational and maintenance costs, while also improving efficiency." Hu Xinyi stated that for the entire industry, even a 1% increase in efficiency can yield significant economic benefits. In the current situation, from the onset of a problem to proactive prevention, while improvements in power generation may not be immediate, concrete improvements require continuous data accumulation to demonstrate. In the long run, because it is early prevention and control and the industry is large, the economic benefits generated are actually huge.

"In the industrial sector, the often-cited 1% efficiency improvement yields enormous economic benefits. This suggests that achieving a multiple-fold increase in efficiency is difficult. Boonray Technology's participation in this exhibition, both from the organizing committee and from customer interest, especially the enthusiastic attendance at the on-site booth, demonstrates this point: Our cases are no longer just eye-catching; they are increasingly proving to have significant practical value," said Hu Xinyi.

Using AI to achieve intelligent data processing

In just one or two years, fully unmanned operations, from flight deployment to report generation, could be achieved with a single click.

Unlike robotic equipment manufacturers, Boonray Technology focuses on researching the interconnectivity of multiple machines, enabling clustered and intelligent operations, and mining the value of the data collected by these machines.

As for future technological development, Boonray Technology is committed to intelligent development, leveraging AI and the Internet of Things to create a new, easy-to-use system. This will address the previously relatively high barriers to entry for drone use and operation, a situation that has deterred many companies.

"Our philosophy is to continuously make the system intelligent, allowing anyone to flexibly operate it, and thus enabling large-scale deployment of the entire system." Hu Xinyi stated that Boonray Technology places great emphasis on practicality and hopes to provide customers with a nearly fully automated system. Whether it's the owner or the operator, seamless integration is essential. Large-scale deployments require no upgrades to existing systems or increased staffing, allowing services to be delivered using existing systems. This is Boonray Technology's ongoing goal.

In addition, how data is collected and stored is crucial. Hu Xinyi explained that AI is used on the cloud platform to intelligently process the collected data and generate analytical reports. "The report will show where the problem lies and how serious it is. This process can be largely automated and unmanned. Therefore, in the near future, within the next year or two, we'll be able to achieve a one-click, fully automated process from report generation to report generation, significantly lowering the barrier to entry for the entire system and facilitating large-scale deployment."

Next, the question is how to maximize the system's effectiveness, seamlessly integrating it with enterprise ERP systems to help enterprises advance their informatization and intelligence, and thus achieve greater scale, scale, and impact.

Entering the Photovoltaic Industry from Industrial Automation

They saw market opportunities in the photovoltaic industry's growing emphasis on operations and maintenance (O&M).

Hu Xinyi, a graduate of the Joint Institute at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, a Shanghai "Thousand Sails" Young Entrepreneur, and a 2018 Shanghai Young Entrepreneur, previously worked in industrial automation before transitioning to the photovoltaic industry. Hu Xinyi explained, "It was all about fate." He said, "From industrial automation to Industrial Automation 4.0, we've truly seen the trend of data-driven machines. Our earliest Shanghai client, starting out in aerospace, had already had a foot in the photovoltaic industry. Another factor was the passion of the entire team: we all want to contribute to the blue skies of our country and the planet. Furthermore, after understanding the photovoltaic industry, we clearly saw that while previously the focus was on building new power plants, it was gradually shifting to O&M. This presented a huge market opportunity!"

Seeing this opportunity, Hu Xinyi and his team believed that a new technology company like Boonray Technology, with its unique application scenarios, would be a good fit. The team's tireless efforts and market feedback confirmed this. "The market is increasingly receptive to our products and solutions, and our annual performance has been growing rapidly, achieving several-fold growth." Hu Xinyi stated that this year, Boonray Technology ranks among the top three in terms of market share and other factors, without a doubt.

Striving to Become a Global Leader in Ubiquitous Robotics

Boonray Technology's future promises even greater technological sophistication and expanded possibilities.

Currently, Boonray Technology's products serve clients in multiple verticals, including photovoltaic inspection, mining operations, and industrial park management.

As for the future, perhaps the keynote on a single image on Boonray Technology's official website offers some insight: Boonray Technology, a Global Leader in Ubiquitous Robotics.

"Boonray Technology will develop in a healthier direction in the future," Hu Xinyi expressed confidence. Boonray Technology positions itself as a ubiquitous robotics company. This year, the power grid has mentioned the term "ubiquitous" several times, including the ubiquitous power grid. In addition to drones, Boonray has also integrated systems like helipads. Drones automatically recharge and power down upon return. In the future, the entire system will strive to integrate even more capabilities, such as cleaning robots, including robots that can view photovoltaic panels from behind.

Founder and CEO Hu Xinyi envisions a more technologically advanced and exciting future for Boonray Technology. "The entire system will connect to more integrated robots, enabling data sharing and collaborative operations," Hu Xinyi affirmed.