Motivated to improve inspection safety, efficiency and accuracy in evaluating power lines, poles, transformers and other energy infrastructure components, utilities began experimenting and utilizing drones to inspect distributed assets in the early to mid-2010s. Even the early results surpassed the efficiency and accuracy capabilities of ground crews and helicopters. By employing unmanned aerial systems (UAS) equipped with cameras and sensors, utilities could access difficult-to-reach areas to collect detailed visual data, allowing for more informed maintenance and repair decisions and timing. Until about 2019, utilities across the U.S. had a more ad hoc, piecemeal approach to asset inspection. However, increasing concerns about aging infrastructure and environmental events have prompted utilities, especially in the fire-prone Western states, to develop more holistic, proactive and sustainable approaches.

Fast forward to today, the risk/reward is substantially higher, with more than 5.5 million line-miles more than 180 million power poles in the U.S. (Dept. of Energy). With ongoing environmental events, an average of 1.7 million acres burned in July of each year from 2002 to 2020, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), adding serious concern for an already stressed grid. In California alone, lightning strikes caused wildfires that burned more than one million acres in 2020 – making vegetation management a top priority.

Wildfires, hurricanes and other natural disasters can wreak havoc on utility facilities, damaging towers, power lines and other equipment in the blink of an eye. To repair this damage as quickly as possible, utilities need to ensure all their assets are safe from high winds or fallen trees before sending in their workers or launching repair missions from the ground. As drone technology becomes increasingly sophisticated and affordable, many utility companies are using drones to visually inspect towers and power lines at higher altitudes than any human worker can safely reach.

Utilities are under more pressure than ever. They must balance safety and productivity as well as customer satisfaction, profitability and environmental stewardship. Moreover, they're tasked with managing a grid that wasn't originally designed to handle increasing complexity of energy flow and consumption as well as the evolving needs of the communities and businesses they serve.

Fortunately, there have been significant technical advancements in both hardware and software. State-of-the-art drones now come equipped with advanced cameras and sensors. These include corona detection capabilities and high-resolution data capture imaging. Coupling this technology with Visual Data Management software enables substantial speed and savings when utilizing UAS programs for vegetation management and outage mitigation. In addition, recent advances in beyond-line-of-site (BVLOS) operations allow drones to fly greater distances and capture more data while keeping ground crew out of dangerous situations.

Managing visual data at scale

The capture and handling of mass amounts of critical data can make or break the success of drone-based inspections. Properly managing and organizing terabytes of high-resolution images, thermal readings, satellite and 3D models is vital. It is central to operational teams' ability to manage inspections, maintenance, safety and compliance. It's not uncommon for inspection teams to collectively capture 1,000 images per day that must be organized, reviewed, encrypted and submitted to the utility for analysis.

Visualization software — some incorporating AI capabilities — provides actionable insights and unprecedented levels of access to terabytes of multi-level data. With visual data at their fingertips and in the cloud, utility engineering and operation and maintenance teams can instantly gain a comprehensive visual understanding of their transmission lines, substations and switching substations. The in-depth visual and thermal analyses expose integrity vulnerabilities and reveal potential improvement opportunities. This significantly reduces safety risks, downtime, environmental impact, and costs.

It enhances inspection speed and dramatically minimizes the need for linemen to work at height, near live lines or in generally hazardous areas. In addition to Visual Data Management, today's UAS programs are revolutionizing the inspection of utility assets through automated processes in several ways:

• Pre-programmed flight paths: Drones can be programmed with predefined flight paths using GIS/GPS waypoints. This automation allows them to fly over designated areas, inspecting utility assets systematically without requiring continuous manual control.
   
• Autonomous navigation: Advanced drones are equipped with obstacle detection and avoidance systems, enabling them to navigate around obstacles such as buildings, trees or power lines autonomously. This capacity ensures safe and efficient inspections, even in demanding conditions, bolstering system, operator and community safety while also minimizing time, resources and costs.
   
• Remote monitoring and control: Operators can remotely monitor and control drones in real-time using specialized software or applications. They can adjust flight parameters, camera settings and inspection routes as needed, ensuring flexibility and responsiveness during the inspection process. Moreover, with BVLOS waivers, the UAS can go farther into a territory to inspect assets quickly.
   
• Sensor integration: Drones can be equipped with various sensors, including visual, thermal, LiDAR and Corona. These sensors capture detailed data about assets, such as power lines, poles, transformers and wind turbines, allowing for comprehensive inspection and analysis.
   
• Reporting and documentation: Automated drone inspections generate detailed reports and documentation, including inspection findings, asset conditions and recommended actions. These reports can be automatically generated and shared with relevant stakeholders, streamlining workflow and decision-making processes to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements while decreasing unnecessary truck rolls.
   
• Data integration: Using open information architectures, users can leverage investments in related data sets such as GIS and most mainstream data sets. In fact, easy bi-directional integration of important intelligence — like that from GIS — can enhance inspections while at the same time ensuring maximum fidelity in the GIS data.
   

With these advancements, the latest innovation focuses on enhancing automation, taking it a step further to deliver the benefits that the industry seeks. These benefits include better collection of data, more data sources and additional data types giving utilities more granular insight into their assets. This process with democratized data has impacts throughout the value chain. For example, operators can use sophisticated software data collection specific to a particular payload and a specific drone to optimize assessments. This data can be quickly processed using AI and machine learning algorithms to identify defects, anomalies or potential issues with distributed assets, saving substantial time and costs. In fact, a major utility in California has achieved $180 million in savings with its UAS programs by deferral of work due to higher accuracy inspections. Evaluation programs in smaller utilities have shown OPEX reductions of more than 25% just by leveraging drone technology and Visual Data Management solutions. When projected over their entire service territories, they anticipate tens of millions of dollars in savings.

Developing the most effective process

When inspecting transmission and distribution assets, developing an efficient process is critical. Often, a UAS program may begin with surveying only a few hundred assets each month and then need to ramp up to meet the utilities' requirements effectively. Putting the right processes in place will facilitate efficiencies in planning, forecasting and logistics regardless of the size of the asset territory. Many small drone operators using temporary contract pilots simply can't keep up with the required quality or quantity of work – especially at scale.

Typically, a two-person inspection crew includes a drone pilot and a payload or sensor operator responsible for capturing the data. It's important to note that not all inspection firms have a dedicated sensor operator, as it can be more expensive because it takes more resources, training and management. However, this is a very thorough way to operate and ensures the highest quality data. By avoiding reflights, the UAS vendor can better maintain schedules and cover more critical territory. Although drones have made it possible to survey areas that have been very difficult to reach, in cases where terrain, distance or urgency make drone use unfeasible, a request for a helicopter inspection can be triggered for supplemental support.

High fire danger regions typically require annual inspections while lower-risk areas and areas with newer assets may be inspected with less frequency. It is not uncommon for a utility to make special inspection requests when needed in vulnerable areas or as a response to customer reports. When evaluating a UAS partner, look to see if they have offroad vehicles outfitted with a variety of drone equipment with ruggedized construction, high-quality lenses and specialized weights that are best suited for the often remote areas where they will perform their inspections. Verify whether they have established a protocol for capturing hundreds of images per structure to evaluate the maintenance requirements of each asset. The reliability of the data capture process and its swift delivery to the utility's asset management team are crucial.

Key considerations when deploying a UAS program for vegetation management and outage mitigation

Because visual site inspections using UAS is still a relatively new field, many UAS providers have tended to be smaller operations using freelance pilots who have obtained training for the FAA's Small UAS Rule (known as Part 107) test implemented in 2016. This was a simplification of previous FAA requirements that had not yet evolved to specifically address drones. Current training courses to prepare students for this written theory test certification can range from 2-hour online programs costing as little as $50 to 4-year university aviation degree programs.

While FAA Part 107 is the baseline certification necessary to commercially operate a drone, it is only a theory test, and its requirements do not begin to encompass the specific skills needed to meet exacting standards. Depending upon their previous practical experience, to reach "entry-level" competence for utility UAS inspections, Part 107-certified pilots will typically start practicing with small drones and a DGI (Digital Geographic Information) platform before moving to practice on working utility assets.

When beginning to work on utility assets new pilots are partnered with a senior pilot who emphasizes safety, risk mitigation, asset identification and communication skills that are vital to operational success. They must pass both summative and formative assessments culminating in a practical test performed on a live asset demonstrating their ability to conduct a dynamic risk assessment, team debriefing, communicate safety factors from possible interference, perform the aerial inspection, and complete the operation in a safe manner.

However, there are other critical areas to consider, such as the program's objectives and desired outcomes. Starting from the desired result and working backward helps determine the initial steps needed. Many utilities can benefit from not treating these programs as mutually exclusive. When the UAS program, for instance, is seen as separate from vegetation management or asset management, its effectiveness diminishes. A holistic UAS program can address all these utility needs and benefit from democratizing data across departments, including asset inspection, vegetation management and legal. When everyone has access to the same information, specific departmental decisions can be made more effectively.

Conclusion

The rapid advancement of technology in recent years has paved the way for innovative approaches to inspecting and managing transmission and distribution assets in the utility industry. Integrating drones, Visual Data Management, AI and streamlined inspection workflows enhance efficiency, accuracy and safety. This integration facilitates critical infrastructure inspection for vegetation management and outage mitigation. Ultimately, the industry will increasingly embrace drone automation and Visual Data Management software, saving substantial OPEX costs.