Drone Tech Advances
From unmanned aerial vehicles to busy bees
by Rita-Lyn Sanders, Director of Member Services & Communication
As a writer, I love words. I intentionally choose each one that I use, and I like to understand why people choose their own words. So, when I decided to share with you how Grand Valley Power is using drones for more efficient operations across the cooperative, I began wondering why, on Earth, are they called drones?
A Brief History
My first recollection of a drone is from a decade or two ago. Suddenly it seemed that innovative photographers and real estate agents used them to take images and video footage from a unique perspective once reserved for the Blimp. Inexpensive drones made them accessible to the regular consumer, too. My son received one for Christmas and used it to buzz us while we were working in the yard.
Still, I knew drones had been around long before they caught my attention.
A simple Internet search provided that inventors developed the first unmanned aerial vehicles (as they were called then) before World War I for military purposes. Armed forces in Europe and the U.S. used remote-controlled airplanes as practice targets and to conduct missions too “dull, dirty, or dangerous” for humans.
The geekiest nugget of this history is how unmanned aerial vehicles were christened with their modern-day moniker. In the 1930s, Britain built a low-cost, radio-controlled target aircraft from the Tiger Moth, a bi-plane its military used to train pilots. Britain dubbed the unmanned target the Queen Bee. After seeing it in action, the U.S. Navy called its remote-controlled planes “drones.” Surely an entomologist, or at least an insect-enthusiast, was serving among these sailors.
Regardless, the name stuck.
Drones at GVP
Grand Valley Power began using a drone a couple of years ago to take images of expansion projects for mapping purposes (it’s easier to find an underground line when you know within a few inches where to start digging). Not too long after, a couple of excited communicators asked our drone pilot to take a few photos and video to give members a birdseye view of crews in the field.
These two tasks quickly turned into more as operations crews discovered the efficiencies and cost savings that drones bring to many jobs. In the field, GIS Analyst Ryan Roesch and Line Patrolman Matt Mason use drones to inspect poles and substations and collect orthoimages. The latter is all about mapping. Orthographic imagery corrects distortions in terrain, providing map-accurate photos and true distance measurement. The images can be laid over other maps to record the position of underground power lines, for example, that were photographed while the trench was still open.
Conducting pole inspections with a drone saves time and money. Instead of two crews travelling the valley – and often getting in truck buckets or climbing poles to visually check miles of wire, electrical components, and poles – one or two people can launch a drone and identify potential maintenance issues without ever taking a step. They can then assign a line crew to check out anomalies noted on specific equipment. Drones make especially easy work of hard to get to lines that climb rugged mountainsides and are helpful when it’s time to inspect poles that traverse pastures. “We don’t have to open gates or drive across fields when they’re muddy,” Mason said. A newer drone technology lets us take thermal images of substations. In these ways, drones help Grand Valley Power identify areas that might need maintenance before they become problems that threaten system reliability. “The images let us dial in during inspections,” Mason said. “The level of detail is so much more in-depth that we can see a missing cotter pin.”
Grand Valley Power has also found a use for larger, heavy-lift drones. In the not-too-distant past, Grand Valley Power had to hire a helicopter and pilot to expand a power line across a creek or river. Last summer, Grand Valley Power employed a drone and operator for two such line expansion projects. A heavy-lift drone carried a lead rope across the water, and then crews finished pulling the wire across using a powered reel. Using a drone saved the members half of what it would have cost to hire a helicopter.
“Using drones showcases our commitment to improving operations through technology,” said GIS Analyst Ryan Roesch, one of two Grand Valley Power drone pilots. As a business, the cooperative must comply with FAA regulations for unmanned aviation systems, including having a drone-certified pilot. To fly, pilots must pass an exam demonstrating their knowledge of air space, radio etiquette, weather, restrictions, and more. Line Patrolman Mason is training to earn the certificate.
With one eye toward future benefits, Grand Valley Power is keeping tabs on how other cooperatives use drone technology to implement efficiencies. Grand Valley Power is exploring how drones might be used to find the cause of power outages and identify areas in need of tree trimming, for example.
Just as unmanned aerial vehicles evolved from full-sized, radio-controlled airplanes to something more akin to their drone namesake, Grand Valley Power expects their use to evolve in the electric industry. These busy “bees” are a helpful tool for maintaining a safe and reliable distribution system.