ABSD accelerates renewable energy progress with LiDAR measurements

Supporting the country’s commitment to achieving its renewable energy target by 2030, AB Surveying & Development, a surveying and LiDAR development company, offers a breakthrough land and sea surveying solution that significantly reduces the time it takes to start a project.

As renewable energy companies strive to achieve the Department of Energy’s (DOE) ambitious 50% renewable energy (RE) target, timely land and sea surveys are becoming critical.

Traditional surveying methods, which can take two to three years, are a significant obstacle to developing RE projects, especially when surveying large areas such as 1,000 hectares. However, AB Surveying & Development’s innovative LiDAR technology reduces this time to just under one month.

“Because LiDAR is a new technology, conventional surveying, it would require very, very tedious fieldwork. For example, before LiDAR was available here in the Philippines, you have 1,000 hectares that you surveyed, I think it would take you maybe 2 to 3 years to complete. But with LiDAR, because it moves, collects light and millions of points, it would only take you 4 hours to survey 1,000 hectares,” said ABSD Sales Manager, Eng. James Bryan Botor.

LiDAR, or light detection and ranging, measures distances using light or an infrared laser. The technology enables rapid data collection, with the ability to survey 1,000 hectares in just four hours. Additionally, ABSD’s use of light detection and ranging guarantees both accuracy and efficiency, making it a preferred choice for renewable energy companies.

Engr. Antonio “Tony” Botor, founder and CEO of ABSD, emphasized the effectiveness of LiDAR in reducing bottlenecks during the planning stage.

“It can take three years to conduct a conventional survey to build a wind turbine or solar farm. By the time it’s completed and the project is up and running, the map may be out of date. But with LiDAR, the same data can be collected in just one month,” he said.

LiDAR measurements also enable companies to identify affected trees or communities and make decisions about the need to purchase land and obtain permits without having to be on site.

ABSD has the distinction of being the first company to offer LiDAR services in the Philippines and the only one to use aircraft for surveying, specifically a fuel-efficient Cessna 172K with an internal pilot for these surveys. This method provides maximum fuel efficiency and safety, with custom-built mounts for the LiDAR instruments.

When asked about the efficiency of aircraft versus drones, Engineer Tony Botor explained that drones have a battery life of about 45 minutes, while a Cessna aircraft can fly continuously for three to four hours, covering the entire project area in a single flight.

In terms of accuracy, engineer Tony Botor assured that the margin of error is minimal and is only about 2 centimeters. In addition, LiDAR measurements use advanced dual-frequency GNSS software and hardware, which ensures high accuracy and precision.

With over 200 LiDAR survey projects completed, ABSD has established itself as a leader in the field, demonstrating the advanced surveying capabilities of the Philippines.

“We were the pioneers of LiDAR in the Philippines and our goal is to continuously improve surveying by offering advanced services such as LiDAR surveying,” said Eng. Tony Botor.

LiDAR technology offers significant benefits over surveying, taking into account factors such as time, cost and accuracy that ultimately impact a renewable energy project.

In addition to Aerial LiDAR, ABSD offers Bathy LiDAR surveys, which use specialized lasers designed to penetrate water and collect the necessary underwater data. They also have the VMZ-2000 LiDAR scanner or mobile LiDAR, which uses cars to take measurements, and terrestrial LiDAR, which reconstructs sites in a 3D model.

Elevate your surveying services with AB Surveying & Development, where projects are completed at the speed of light.

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