Drone Power 1 is an FAA Part 107 operator built around a single idea: solar panels make more power when they're clean, and nobody should be on a roof to make that happen.
Paul Lyman is the founder, CEO, and President. He set the company around a simple rule: use drone work to make solar maintenance safer, faster, and cleaner.
Paul Lyman
Founder, CEO & President · U.S. Air Force F-15 Pilot
U.S. Air Force veteran and F-15 fighter pilot. Founded Drone Power 1 to bring military-grade aviation discipline to solar maintenance — safer, faster, and cleaner than crew-on-roof methods.
David Woods
Chief Operations Officer · FAA Part 107 Pilot
Trusted commercial drone pilot. Runs day-to-day operations across residential, commercial, and utility flight days — keeps every job on schedule, on standard, and on record.
FAA Part 107 is the floor — not the ceiling. Every pilot flies under our own training manual and standard operating procedures, built on Paul Lyman's F-15 aviation background and refined for solar work specifically.
In-house SOP
Drone Power 1 Training Manual
A proprietary operations manual covers pre-flight, mission planning, water/agent handling, panel-plane spray geometry, and post-flight reporting — every pilot follows the same playbook.
Pilot qualification
Beyond Part 107
FAA Part 107 certification, in-house solar-cleaning qualification flights, and recurring proficiency checks — a Drone Power 1 pilot has flown the platform under instruction before they fly your roof.
Background screening
Vetted on site
Background checks, identity verification, and aviation-grade record-keeping for every pilot on the team — the same trust standard required to fly commercial UAS missions on third-party property.
Insured operations
GL + aviation
General liability paired with drone-specific aviation coverage. Certificates of insurance available on request and issued up-front for commercial and utility-scale work.
The company’s mission is to use drone technology to complete work efficiently, effectively, and safely while reducing customer cost and increasing environmental sustainability.
Zero rooftop risk
The aircraft never touches the roof. No ladders, no foot traffic, no broken tile — the safest cleaning method available.
Deionized water + biodegradable agent
DI water paired with Chemitek DSA — TÜV-certified, panel-safe, biodegradable. No solvents or bleach, runoff that's safe for plants, pets, and the drains below.
Proof on every job
Date-stamped before / after frames, soiling assessment, and recovery estimate. You own the record.
Core competency
Utility, Commercial and Residential Solar Panel Maintenance Cleaning
Core values
Safety
No roof access, no wasted risk, no shortcuts when the job gets technical.
Agility
Move fast, adapt fast, and keep the operation light enough to scale cleanly.
Service
Treat every site like a customer relationship, not a one-off pass.
Innovation
Use drone systems and better workflows to solve problems the old way can't.
Excellence
Leave the asset cleaner, the report sharper, and the result easy to trust.
8 – 18%
Avg. energy recovery
0
Rooftop incidents
100%
Deionized water
2.6×
Faster than crew wash
2023
Founded
FAA Part 107 certified, first residential cleans in the Coachella Valley — built on Paul Lyman's F-15 aviation background.
2024
First MW
Crossed one megawatt of commercial roof cleaned in a single month.
2025
SOP & training manual
Drone Power 1 publishes its internal operations manual — every pilot trained, qualified, and background-checked under the same playbook.
2025
Fleet expansion
Second aircraft online, commercial rooftop work across the desert cities.
2026
Now
Serving the full Coachella Valley with reporting in customer-ready formats.
