, a tech investor and chief executive of Mike Cannon-Brookes’ renewable energy not-for-profit Boundless.
The Series A investment was led by investment firm Energy Impact Partners which has more than $3 billion in funds under management, from investors including US gas and electric utility businesses Southern Company, Fortis, Xcel Energy, Duke Energy, as well as AGL Energy. “There’s over 2000 gigawatts of renewable energy backlog waiting for connection to the electric grid,” Mr Van Der Berg said.“The industry is estimating that we need to build 17 million kilometres of overhead power lines to connect all of this renewable generation to the grid … the current alternatives are too slow and too dangerous.”
The helicopters which Infravision hoped to replace are capable of carrying a one-tonne payload, but the heaviest drone they could find could only lift 100 kilograms. After many failed attempts, and expensive crash landings which took the bootstrapped business close to bankruptcy, Infravision re-engineered the system.