Portugal Employs UAVs to Inspect Overhead Lines

EDP Distribuicao, the largest distribution utility in Portugal has a large high-voltage and medium-voltage (HV/MV) overhead line network that extends over a vast geographical area. [...]the management of this asset is an extremely expensive exercise that is constantly under review to ensure all the industry's network reliability and safety standards are met. Utilities regularly review the annual cost of collecting and collating this information, which forms the work database required to determine the annual revenue budget and the overhead line maintenance staff resources needed to complete the identified work load. The advent and expanded range of services that can be undertaken by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), therefore, has attracted the interest of EDP Distribuicao as a cost-effective means of undertaking aerial inspection of the existing HV and MV overhead line networks. UAVs for Inspection The use of UAV technology enables the collection of up-to-date, accurate information in a short time span, often in locations where human access and working conditions are difficult. Online Platform All the data collected on site are made available on a WebGIS platform. [...]the overhead line inspected can be analyzed on a daily basis in real time. Sony Alpha 7R 36.4-megapixel, 60p video full-HD digital photographic camera Inspection package made up of a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ61 digital camera and a FLIR Tau 2 640 thermographic camera with 19-mm lenses Sony PJ780VE camera with 1920 x 1080/50p full-HD video. Pilot Results The UAV photographic inspection of the Faias 15-kV overhead line revealed signs of deterioration on some...