France is growing a fleet of hydrogen airships to inspect power lines and gas pipelines French startup HyLight has raised €13 million in venture funding. The round was led by Rubio Impact Ventures, with participation from DRW and Teampact Ventures. Including the previous round in 2024, the company's total approved fundraising totals approximately 16.7 million euros. Since 2022, HyLight has been developing the HyLighter project, a 12-meter light-than-air platform designed for the inspection of power lines, gas pipelines and long-distance railways. According to the company, 7,000 kilometers of infrastructure have already been surveyed to date. Most of these surveys are performed on power lines and gas pipelines - long linear objects where soil testing requires the most time and labor. Each HyLighter is powered by an electric motor powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, with a target range of up to 350 kilometers. The board is equipped with LiDAR technology (it measures the distance to objects using laser pulses and builds a three-dimensional image of the space). The survey can be carried out at a height of about 25 meters, which makes it possible to distinguish details that are inaccessible to satellites and difficult for UAVs with their limited flight time. The main technological choice is a hydrogen fuel cell instead of batteries. For long flights, batteries are too heavy and require frequent charging, but hydrogen gives longer range with less weight. The disadvantage is the need for refueling and hydrogen storage, but for a service model, where the device is based at one site and serves the area, this is an acceptable option. The material is available on the Global Energy website "Global Energy" also on MAX.

France is growing a fleet of hydrogen airships to inspect power lines and gas pipelines French startup HyLight has raised €13 million in venture funding. The round was led by Rubio Impact Ventures, with participation from DRW and Teampact Ventures. Including the previous round in 2024, the company's total approved fundraising totals approximately 16.7 million euros. Since 2022, HyLight has been developing the HyLighter project, a 12-meter light-than-air platform designed for the inspection of power lines, gas pipelines and long-distance railways. According to the company, 7,000 kilometers of infrastructure have already been surveyed to date. Most of these surveys are performed on power lines and gas pipelines - long linear objects where soil testing requires the most time and labor. Each HyLighter is powered by an electric motor powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, with a target range of up to 350 kilometers. The board is equipped with LiDAR technology (it measures the distance to objects using laser pulses and builds a three-dimensional image of the space). The survey can be carried out at a height of about 25 meters, which makes it possible to distinguish details that are inaccessible to satellites and difficult for UAVs with their limited flight time. The main technological choice is a hydrogen fuel cell instead of batteries. For long flights, batteries are too heavy and require frequent charging, but hydrogen gives longer range with less weight. The disadvantage is the need for refueling and hydrogen storage, but for a service model, where the device is based at one site and serves the area, this is an acceptable option. The material is available on the Global Energy website "Global Energy" also on MAX.