OAKLAND,
Calif., Dec. 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today,
Pacific Gas and Electric Company convened hundreds of certified
drone pilots, industry collaborators, community partners, and
federal stakeholders in San Ramon,
Calif. for a conference exploring the usage of unmanned
aerial systems for utility operations.
The first-of-its-kind event for PG&E included product
demonstrations and discussions with UAS hardware, software and
drone service providers including Advexure, Airdata, Infravision,
and Skydio, along with a high-powered speaker lineup featuring
representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration, the
Unmanned Safety Institute, and several former United States Navy
F/A 18 pilots who are charting the course for UAS technology
advancements.
"PG&E operates one of the largest and most advanced
drone-based equipment inspection programs in the world, helping
enable us to deliver on our stand that catastrophic wildfires shall
stop," said Jason Regan, Vice
President of System Inspections, PG&E. "The PG&E 2023 UAS
conference is a first-of-its-kind event providing drone pilots with
insights on new technologies and best practices for the safe and
responsible integration and operation of drones within the energy
industry."
PG&E Pioneering the Use of Drones in Utility
Operations
PG&E began first using drones in detailed
electric transmission infrastructure inspections in 2015, but
significantly ramped their usage by 2020 having proven their
ability to make inspections more efficient and productive.
In 2022, PG&E began utilizing UAS technology to perform gas
pipeline leak surveys on 16 miles of water crossings traditionally
done by boat.
In 2023, working with Skydio, PG&E became the first utility
in California to begin conducting
fully remote drone operations for electric system inspections after
receiving a waiver from the FAA to operate drones "beyond the
visual line of sight" for a variety of inspections, providing a
triple advantage of increased system, operator and community
safety; reduced time and resources; and cost savings.
PG&E recently expanded its UAS applications beyond
inspections, becoming the first utility in North America to string powerlines with
drones working with Austin,
Texas-based Infravision.
PG&E began using the Infravision TX UAV Stringing System to
string powerlines in 2022, and has utilized the system 20 times,
largely to repair sections of its overhead electric distribution
grid damaged by winter storms, but also to proactively reconductor
higher-voltage transmission lines.
The Infravision TX system can be deployed in areas and
conditions where helicopters cannot fly, including for service
restoration in difficult terrain during and after storms and for
reconductoring projects in highly complex urban and suburban
environments.
"Infravision and PG&E are providing the industry with a
safer, more sustainable, and cost-effective alternative. Our
collaboration focuses on enhancing customer and employee safety,
minimizing environmental impact, and expediting service
restoration. We are proud to partner with forward-thinking
utilities like PG&E in driving innovation in powerline
construction and maintenance. We look forward to further expanding
our commercial partnership with PG&E and delivering innovation,
safety, and cost savings for Californian energy consumers," said
Cameron Van Der Berg, CEO of
Infravision.
PG&E has a multi-year, agreement with Infravision to operate
the TX system. PG&E has shared its experience using the TX
system with the Edison Electric Institute, conducted trainings with
British Columbia-based electric
utility BC Hydro, and facilitated demonstrations for its sister
utilities Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas and
Electric.
Watch a video about PG&E's first proactive line
stringing projects where PG&E UAS pilots and lineman working
with transmission construction crews from Summit Line Construction
successfully complete multiple wire pulls using the Infravision TX
system.
About PG&E
PG&E, a subsidiary of PG&E
Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is a combined natural gas and electric
utility serving more than 16 million people across 70,000 square
miles in Northern and Central
California. For more information,
visit pge.com and pge.com/news.
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SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company