Drones are increasingly used in the energy sector. For the power industry, drone power line inspection, troubleshooting, construction monitoring and data analysis bring a safer, more efficient and cost-saving way.
National Grid is actively deploying drones to help improve power line inspections, especially fault response in rural power grids, help restore power supply, and improve the safety, efficiency and reliability of power systems.
Do power companies use drones?
Utilities are introducing drones into transmission and distribution operations to inspect and maintain transmission lines and quickly and accurately identify grid threats.
How do drones help the power industry?
Drones with high-definition cameras can fly close to power lines and take high-resolution images, allowing operators to identify any problems on the wires, such as breaks, wear and tear, weather damage, etc. Thermal imaging drone aerial inspections can also inspect wires and transmission towers in more detail and accurately, helping to reduce safety risks for workers.
Maintenance and inspection of transmission towers and power lines in rural areas, mountainous areas or remote areas using drone inspections will speed up the process, shorten the time for power outage inspection and restoration, and respond to rural network failures in a timely manner.
Drones equipped with corona cameras can detect corona discharges on power lines from a safe distance and generate real-time images of problem areas. By obtaining high-resolution images of the affected areas, technicians can accurately identify areas on the power lines that need maintenance and take measures to solve the problems.
In addition, drone inspections of power lines can also help reduce maintenance costs and improve power distribution efficiency. By detecting problems in power lines early, preventive measures can be taken to avoid failures and reduce the risk of power outages for users.
Why do we need drones for power inspections?
Traditional power inspections require a lot of manpower and material resources. American utility companies spend hundreds of millions of dollars each year on maintenance and inspections. These costs cover manpower, helicopter work, and more.
It turns out that drones can save us time and money. Drones can easily access hard-to-reach areas, and engineers and maintenance workers do not need to climb towers or walk along power lines, away from high voltage dangers.
In winter, when there is thick ice and snow covering the power lines, drones can load tools for de-icing the power lines, reducing the difficulties of manual inspections and de-icing.
When a power transmission line short-circuits and catches fire, the firefighting drone can also carry firefighting tools to extinguish the power transmission line and save lives and property.
What kind of drone is suitable for the power industry?
Autel Robotics provides advanced commercial drones such as the EVO II V3 series and the EVO MAX series. We recommend you to use the Autel EVO MAX 4T drone to speed up the maintenance and inspection of power lines.
Autel EVO MAX 4T has powerful flight performance, is a semi-autonomous drone, leading A-Mesh network technology, triple anti-interference capability, hot-swappable battery, IP43 protection level, flight time of 42 minutes, and maximum image transmission range of 20KM.
Autel EVO Max 4T gimbal is equipped with a 4-in-1 camera, supports 8K 10x optical zoom, and is equipped with a 720° obstacle avoidance perception system.
Autel Robotics EVO MAX 4T Rugged Bundle
$8999.00 USD
The future of drones in the power grid industry
Drones are already an important tool for power grid companies. Aerial power line inspection improves efficiency and saves costs. In the future, more artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies will be applied to drone inspections to improve the level of automation and intelligence. The improvement of 5G technology will also speed up the data transmission speed and real-time processing capabilities of drones, and promote the widespread application of drones in power inspections.
Summary
Drone technology and power industry applications are developing rapidly. The application of drones in power grid companies is becoming more and more extensive, bringing significant advantages to the inspection and maintenance of transmission lines. Drones are helping power grid companies improve efficiency, reduce costs, improve safety, and ensure the safety and reliability of the power grid.
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