Navigating the skies
Some of my favorite images of our service territory, facilities and employees come courtesy of drone camera footage. Drones are an amazing tool with many applications. Yellowstone Valley Electric Cooperative recently purchased our first drone; its main use will be inspecting power lines. YVEC has almost 2,700 miles of distribution lines and 150 miles of transmission lines, which not only require routine inspection and maintenance, but also emergency inspection during times of storm damage or fires.
Fixed-wing drones are the future of aerial-based asset management in the utility market because they offer a range of advantages over other methods, such as helicopters. Drones reveal anomalies such as vegetation encroachment, missing or broken hardware and damaged wire. With the help of thermal imaging sensors, drones can also measure temperatures to detect hotspots and potential issues that could lead to serious problems. Drones can be deployed at short notice. (78852000)
Without drones, line inspections involve walking or driving along lines looking for hazards, climbing poles when necessary, or the use of helicopters. Manual inspections occur at a slow pace and can involve dangerous work. While helicopters are faster, they work at slow ground speeds (5 MPH) and more importantly are incredibly expensive costing around $800-$1000 per mile. With the use of advanced cameras and sensors, drone technology alleviates many pain points from traditional power line inspections. Here are a few advantages:
- SAFETY – Drones can easily avoid getting too close to poles and wires while still gathering a large amount of detailed data. This keeps workers out of harm’s way and lets them analyze and diagnose issues from the ground.
- EFFICIENCY – They quickly survey large areas, locate defects and capture high-resolution images. Traditional methods are much slower, more costly and less efficient.
- COST-EFFECTIVENESS – Drone based inspections are economically favorable. The cost of having an outside entity inspect YVEC’s transmission line exceeds the cost of purchasing a drone and pilot certification for several YVEC employees.
- IMPACT – Drones minimize risks. Unlike helicopters, lightweight plastic drones are unlikely to cause a fire if they hit a powerline. Also, keeping vehicles out of fields and pastures is advantageous to landowners.
YVEC employees will be in marked vehicles, and we will do our best to make sure people are aware when this work is taking place. Additionally, YVEC’s drone will be Federally registered and in full compliance with Federal standards. WE are excited to implement drone technology for line inspections, damage control and image collection. This is just another example of how Yellowstone Valley Electric Cooperative continues to strive towards providing the best possible service to our members. Drones will help improve system integrity and reliability while keeping the cost of doing so down.
Brandon J. Wittman
Chief Executive Officer