Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) has begun using drones to monitor more than 64,000 kilometres of overhead powerlines in its license area in central southern England.
The drones have been deployed as part of a £420,000 project with technology company Cyberhawk. They will be used to inspect the more than 1,500 pylons across the patch and feed the data to its iHawk software, removing the need for engineers to climb the towers to conduct manual inspections.
SSEN maintenance and inspection manager Martin Bailer said: “Prior to using the drones, we were required to climb the towers, bringing an element of risk to those involved and taking a great time to safely carry out the assessment. Most of our towers have walk in access so now only two people are required to operate the drone and this in turn results in minimal impact on the environment, and far less inconvenience for landowners and nearby residents.”
He continued: “SSEN is a considerate constructor, so looks for ways to reduce disruption, pollution and noise wherever possible and by using drones, we have been able to cut down on teams travelling and have minimised the footfall on sites of special scientific interest, industrial and housing estates and even restricted airspace sites; all while working with heightened security and ensuring the privacy of our customers.”
Cyberhawk chief executive Chris Fleming said: “By using drones, we have been able to capture inspection imagery in a systematic way whilst keeping people’s feet firmly on the ground; reducing the need for people to work at height and lessening any potential impact on the environment. We then evaluate the results in our secure cloud-based asset management software, iHawk allowing SSEN to prioritise repairs efficiently with full visibility.
“SSEN has been quick to understand the benefits and is an early adopter of technology. It’s been fantastic to help SSEN improve its workflows and we look forward to helping bring further technology to their networks.”