The use of drones in the energy sector - their advantages and possibilities

The constantly accelerating technological progress makes us reach higher, farther, deeper and look for solutions to problems that pose difficulties in everyday life. Thanks to this search, it turns out that we find new solutions for machines and devices that have been designed for completely different purposes. Miniaturization of electronic circuits, an increase in their computing power and more efficient batteries – all this makes the use of drones more and more popular.

The first mention of the possibility of using drones in the power industry appeared at the IX Conference "Live works in LV, MV, HV networks in Poland and around the world", which took place on 21-22.06.2007 in Gdańsk. 15 years have passed since then and we see that the use of drones in the energy sector can be enormous - it depends only on imagination, access to technology, needs and economic calculation.

Why is it worth using drones in the energy sector?

1. We definitely shorten the time of performing individual technological tasks.
2. We increase work safety.
3. We can improve the accuracy of the measurement methods used.
4. We get faster access to information so that we can prevent emergencies.
5. We improve the efficiency of power equipment operation.
6. We achieve measurable economic benefits.

Reducing the time it takes to complete individual tasks

The efficiency of investment and operational processes related to both the construction of new facilities, modernization of old ones, as well as current operation depends to a large extent on acceptance procedures. Checking the execution of works is laborious, often requiring the presence of a commissioning commission in every place (e.g., on every tower or station field). The use of technology with the use of unmanned aerial vehicles is definitely able to shorten these processes.

Identification of workstations for operational processes in places of assembly of specialized equipment will improve the quality of work performed on disconnected devices and those under voltage. The image from the places where the equipment is installed will allow you to avoid any surprises when the situation differs from the expected one or it will indicate which alternative solutions can be used most effectively. First of all, drones significantly reduce the time spent on inspecting the tested objects. Thanks to them, the control carried out can be shortened from few weeks to several hours. They are used to monitor industrial installations that extend over a large area and to inspect hard-to-reach equipment. An example of facilities that meet these criteria – where replacing inspection personnel with drones has only advantages – could be wind farms and photovoltaic farms. Electricity infrastructure, such as high-voltage power lines, substations or even power plants, must be constantly monitored, because even a minor failure or deviation from the standard can cause serious problems.

In emergency cases, especially when the failure concerns the so-called critical installation, the operation of which is the basis of the stability of the energy system operation, currently used inspection methods are time-consuming and ineffective. The entire diagnostic process in such a situation must be carried out as quickly as possible in order to mitigate the consequences of the failure. Technology using drones makes it possible to shorten these processes.

Increasing work safety

The use of drones in the energy sector is an important aspect of increasing safety. Reducing the time of work in the field by maintenance services from weeks to several days and reducing the number of people involved in inspection work increases work safety. The possibility of using unmanned aerial vehicles in particularly dangerous places reduces the risk of life threatening during operational works (e.g. visual inspection of wind turbine blades, power line tours in swampy and hard-to-reach areas).

Improving the accuracy of measurement methods

Unmanned aerial systems can take photos needed to develop precise maps and plans of operational facilities and to control the terrain belts around existing line facilities (power grids, gas networks or railway traction). A drone performing control flights can collect both visual and thermal imaging data. This combination provides greater accuracy than traditional analyses. Flying a drone equipped with measurement sensors allows you to obtain a wide range of data of quality comparable to that collected by traditional methods.

Drones can be successfully used for difficult processes, such as dragging an initial line (here on the 110 kV power line over the Nogat River, Pelplin – Malbork, by Eltel Networks)

Faster access to information and prevention of emergencies

All devices installed and used in the operation of drones will transmit in real time the data collected by them regarding anomalies and emergency states occurring on the monitored facilities, both lines and substations. The efficiency of using drones in the energy sector also consists in much faster data collection and their automatic recording. The possibility of a stable hovering in the air and the small dimensions of the drones allow for a thorough inspection of towers, power lines, insulators, wind turbines or photovoltaic farms. Thanks to flights along the corridors of high and medium voltage lines, it is possible to verify the condition of the forest cover on the route or the distance of the power towers from the edge of the forest. Inspections may take the form of periodic infrastructure reviews or intervention measures that allow for an immediate assessment of the situation and the necessary corrective and repair action to be taken.

Improving the efficiency of energy equipment

Thanks to the data collected with the help of unmanned aerial vehicles, it will be possible to estimate the technical condition of the devices in use, plan their modernization, as well as quickly react to possible failures. The capabilities of drones and their simple operation allow for the inspection of high and medium voltage lines, wind farms, photovoltaic farms, as well as industrial facilities, towers, chimneys and water reservoirs. The need to quickly obtain information about the condition of the installation means that in the near future there will be a dynamic development of drone technology. Control of the energy infrastructure with a drone eliminates or minimizes the shutdown time of the tested installation, and also allows to increase the number and quality of inspections. Their key advantage is the ability to quickly reach hard-to-reach and dangerous places and check individual elements of the installation from a short distance.

Economic benefits of using drones

The reason for the wide use of drones in the energy sector is their relatively low price. They are definitely cheaper than traditional helicopters, which were currently used for some works related to the operation of devices and repairing of failures. A technical solution that allows to reduce costs and reduce the time of analysis is the use of drones equipped with various types of equipment, enabling the performance of many works (high-resolution thermal imaging cameras, sensors and programs allowing image processing using optoelectronic heads with a laser rangefinder, LIDAR inactive radars). Frequent inspections using flying platforms enable early detection of irregularities, which allows energy companies to significantly reduce operational costs and maintain the facility in good technical condition. The economic effect is not only financial savings, but also time savings - time spent on operational work or removal of failures, time of switching on devices, as well as time spent on risk analysis. This time turns into measurable financial benefits for the enterprise.

What can we expect in the future?

Currently, we can use drones to meet the needs of the energy sector (power grids, conventional power plants, substations, RES). It is possible to use them to perform various types of tasks requiring the use of specialized measuring equipment. Properly constructed and equipped drones can be used for diagnosing and inventorying energy and industrial infrastructure.

In the future, we can imagine that with the help of a drone it will be possible to perform measurements of the electromagnetic field and noise level both during the test run of the line and during normal operation. Drones could also be used to measure the thickness of the paint coating on towers or to check the condition of sealing of lattice poles. Perhaps, in the near future, the visual image can be compared with the construction drawing to show non-compliance. Basically, all types of measurements could be carried out using drones, e.g. measurements of wire sags or their distance from the ground and other crossed objects, thermal imaging and crown measurements, the condition of spacers, cables, etc. Finally, drones can facilitate work by carrying light loads of network attachments and/or specialised tools for working under voltage.

Read also The future of the Polish energy sector – what are the challenges for the power industry?

Innovative use of drones in the energy sector. Summary

Prudent and courageous use of drones to operate networks and energy devices can significantly improve the quality of their service, and even allow for earlier detection of threat states in their operation. Benefits can be obtained in improving the efficiency of power equipment, successive reduction of failure rates through preventive removal of perceived threats. Drones are one of the examples of modern and innovative technologies, the use of which will certainly contribute to increasing safety in the energy sector. The use of drones in the energy sector to research and control devices may be a breakthrough step, because along with their development it will be possible to virtually completely automate the process of monitoring many energy installations.