Category: Drones in Utilities and Energy Sectors

The Energy Industry Is Greatly Benefiting From Drones Usage

Drones

Drones can quickly identify damage to everything, from solar panels to wind turbines, and prevent them from getting worse. In addition, a drone can quickly collect information and identify abnormalities and damage. Inspections are necessary to ensure safety in the energy industry, including oil, gas, and solar.

However, these inspections are costly and time-consuming. Progress can also be tracked, and all kinds of data can be created, including orthomosaics, elevation data, and 3D maps.… Read the rest

Learn More About Drones Use in The Energy Market

utility power lines drone inspections

Energy companies need to track thousands of miles of pipelines, transmission lines, tank farms, and other resources to ascertain how and when maintenance activities will need to be performed. The sheer size and the scope of managing this infrastructure mean the capacity to automate tasks associated with implementing such inspections will create incredible opportunities. That is one reason energy sectors are quickly adopting drones.

With the energy industry representing fundamentally a recession-proof market and renewable energy resources capture the rapidly increasing share of that market, possibilities for technological advancement and the adoption of drones will undoubtedly increase. By utilizing Part 107 to their benefit, Drone consultants can capitalize on these regulation changes, just as they have in other industries, for example, agriculture.

Also smaller, local drone consultants can take advantage of the upcoming boom in drones in energy/utilities. Whether this practice is associated to examining solar farms, wind farms, … Read the rest

The Applications of Drones in Utility & Energy Sector

Drones in Utility & Energy Sector

RC Planes and helicopters have been there for decades, so why is there this sudden massive interest in drone technology today? RC planes and helicopters were the toys kids used to play within the 70s or 80s.

This was the typical user experience anyone would have fun with. One can use them for a few minutes or maybe a few hours, but they were flimsy. They’re made of paper and cardboard and were not robust. The reason is that they’re just toys, not tools. So, what really changed?

Drone is a combination of government and private sector innovation. There are flight controllers for NASA, GPS technology; regionally pioneered by the US Navy, miniaturized sensors like accelerometers and gyroscopes, digital cameras that are miniaturized, high quality and energy-efficient. All these are combined with advances in model aircraft and battery life that give the modern drone its powerful capabilities. Having the … Read the rest

Role of Drones in Utilities and Energy Sectors.

drones in utility and energy sectors

Drones in utilities and energy sectors

Not all readers will remember August 14, 2003, but 50 million people living in Northeast America probably do. This was the date of the worst power outage on the North American continent ever recorded – it left those 50 million literally in the dark. This is why power companies spend millions of dollars to fly helicopters to survey the power lines in hopes of finding out what exactly went wrong and in seeking new ways of meeting grid reliability standards.

They use a variety of sensing technologies in addition to visual inspections, too. Thermal imaging cameras and radar sensors are used extensively to spot thermal and physical issues w/ wirelines.… Read the rest