Beyond Completion: Vulcan Achieves Major Breakthrough in Energization Verification

SynMax Research:

The ability to confirm the precise operational start date of a major asset provides a critical forecasting edge. We are excited to announce a Major Technical Breakthrough: Vulcan can now detect asset energization via thermal drone imagery.

From a technical and cost perspective, this proprietary capability allows us to determine if a facility is up and running—a massive leap beyond simply confirming construction completion.

Case Study 1: Data Center Energization

Below, we showcase the Garland Data Center, segmented into four individual projects/sections.

The thermal image indicates that TX03 is already active and drawing power, as its heat signature is identical to the fully operational TX01 and TX02. This allows you to update your load models before any public announcement. Conversely, TX04 remains clearly offline, allowing you to confidently keep the online date.

Case Study 2: Solar Project Operational Status

Identifying construction completion is one thing; confirming energization is another. Our new capability solves this for renewable assets, as demonstrated by the Estonian Solar facility. The facility online date: January 2025.

• The Anomaly: Our thermal imaging on 11/9/25 at 1:45 PM revealed minimal arrays running, despite the facility being structurally complete.
• Vulcan Insight: This unique observation is explained by the time of capture and market conditions on a Sunday afternoon. We can clearly see the battery banks and substation are fully operational and running, suggesting the battery charged throughout the morning and reached full capacity by 1:45 PM and given market prices were negative minimizing solar generation is a prudent strategy particularly if under ITC vs. PTC.
  
  

• Price Impacts: If this facility were surveyed during a peak day with high positive power prices, we anticipate the entire array would display a maximum heat signature. This thermal verification provides unparalleled insight into the operational strategy and capacity factors being used by the asset owner.

Strategic Rollout and Competitive Edge

We are immediately formulating a strategy to roll this unique capability out to our clients.

• Targeted Monitoring: We will initially focus this thermal verification on major power projects, Data Centers, and Liquefaction facilities immediately after we designate them as having "Completion Status" (no large physical changes for four weeks after substantial build-out).
• On-Demand Service: Similar to our Request Image feature, we plan to offer the capability to request a specific thermal imaging scan for a nominal fee (approximately $1,000).
• Zero Client Workflow: Unlike trying to contract your own specialized thermal imaging, SynMax handles the entire complex workflow: defining survey areas, image processing, results analysis, and data storage. This delivers actionable operational status directly to your desk, maintaining your competitive edge.

Vulcan continues to innovate and add value to our clients on the platform. For a demo please reach out to our Lead Researcher David Bellman dbellman@synmax.com