Drones are in the news consistently due to the ever-advancing delivery potential and search and rescue efforts to identify bad guys and missing children, but the potential for efficiency and safety for public utilities and energy companies must have a day in the headlines as well. Here are some current and evolving uses of drones and sensors in these industries:
- Inspection of transmission and distribution lines for issues, including leaning, sagging lines, broken insulators and corrosion
- Visual simulations of tower heights for re-development use cases
- Substation equipment inspections
- Vegetation management at assets and on right of ways
- Survey-grade precision mapping of power lines, gas and water systems, dams, solar farms and wind turbines
- Gas pipeline inspection, visualization (of above and underground assets
- Hydroelectric dam inspections
- Reservoir monitoring, including water level trends
- Assessing and monitoring risk from terrorism, vandalism and/or theft, including damaged or missing security gates, lighting, cameras or fencing
- Remediation site survey and monitoring
