Domino’s and Amazon.com might be hogging the headlines about the commercial viability of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)/unmanned aircraft systems (UASs), or, simply, “drones,” but electric utility and transmission companies are equally enthusiastic about the technology’s potential to boost their systems’ reliability.


Talk about the possible future of drones often begins with a look backward, specifically to the afternoon of Aug. 14, 2003, when drooping transmission lines in Ohio contacted trees. The resulting cascade of events instigated North America’s worst-ever blackout and turned off the lights for 50 million Americans. Now, utilities and transmission companies routinely spend millions of dollars flying helicopters over their lines to meet grid-reliability standards strengthened in the wake of the 2003 event. Replacing some of these flights with significantly cheaper drone inspections is only one potential opportunity utilities are exploring.


A number of applications are of interest, according to Fabio Bologna, senior program manager for transmission at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), the research arm of the electric-utility industry.


“Applications include local structure inspection, detailed fly-by inspection, storm restoration, vegetation management [and] structure climbing,” he said.


Bologna helped lead a field test last summer with representatives from a number of participating utilities at the Kleinburg Training Center, operated by the Toronto-based utility Hydro One, during which six manufacturers’ drones were evaluated. The tests only included trials of the equipment’s ability to perform local structure inspection but still posed challenges. The drones were expected to find a series of staged flaws across the five-tower test field, including such hard-to-spot issues as chipped porcelain insulators and loose cotter pins, and document the problems in high-definition photos.


A video on EPRI’s YouTube channel shows the drones in action (https://youtu.be/qwvGlQZ4Qo0). All of the equipment successfully navigated the structures, but the investigators found that the operator’s own line-inspection experience is important in knowing where to look for flaws. They also found that some equipment handled wind and rain better than others.


The Hydro One training-center lines were not energized, so the EPRI is continuing evaluations, hoping to target potential issues—including arcing and flashover—that could occur in energized settings. In the meantime, several utilities have begun their own pilot programs, having received special waivers from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).


Last year, San Diego Gas & Electric became the first electric utility to earn an FAA airworthiness certificate that allows it to use drones for testing, training and limited day-to-day operations. 


Southern Co. received a similar exemption in May 2015. The company operates more than 27,000 miles of transmission lines across 120,000 square miles in the Southeast and is investigating the equipment’s use in assessing weather-related damage. 


Despite widespread interest among utilities, such approvals likely will continue to be slow, as FAA officials attempt to understand how UAVs fit into the country’s larger aviation system.


Officially, commercial drone use is banned in the United States, unless operators have received an FAA exemption. Even with the exemption, utilities seeking to use drones along miles of remotely located transmission lines can fly the devices only within the line of sight of the operator, and that operator must be a certified drone pilot. 


“The applications most useful, like detailed fly-by inspection and storm restoration, require beyond line-of-sight regulatory approval,” Bologna said.


However, the FAA is expected to release comprehensive regulations later this year, which could provide room for added services. In the meantime, Bologna said drone-makers still need to put more work into their equipment’s battery life, which can be limited to 15–20 minutes, depending on drone size and payload (such as cameras and sensors).


While the utilities investigating drone use are conducting their own research, a new industry is springing up to provide UAS operation as a service—either directly or by acting as a broker connecting companies seeking drone service with qualified drone operators. For example, in June, Boston-based startup, Fly4.Me, launched a beta version of a program that aims to match companies seeking drone services with qualified operators in a fashion similar to the ride-sharing service Uber.


Burns & McDonnell, a leading engineering firm serving the electric-utility industry, received its own exemption allowing commercial drone use in July. 


Drones are becoming less expensive, though a model fully equipped with lidar and ultraviolet sensors can still cost $20,000-plus. However, it might not be too long before electrical contractors routinely deploy the devices to check pole connections, along with other inspection chores that might otherwise require a ladder or bucket truck. Proposed FAA rules now under consideration would only require certification, not a full pilot’s license, and related training programs are beginning to open across the country. Drone training might be one way to take your own business to new heights. 


Check out the August 2015 Industry Watch for more on drone usage.