We pioneered virtual inspections of energy utility assets over 10 years ago, and in that time, we have been asked a lot of questions. Here are some of the frequently asked questions that utilities seek answers to: 

• We have high reliability on our grid, so why would I change my inspection method?  
• We have been inspecting our assets with a proven method for a long time, why change it?  
• I have heard that the AI is not ready yet, so why start implementing it now?  
• Why do it now? We tried this a few years ago and it was more expensive than our traditional methods.

All valid questions, therefore we have put together ten reasons why a utility should add virtual inspections to their inspection program.

1. Improve the safety of your inspections by having fewer people out in the field conducting inspections through foot patrol, climbing towers or inspecting by helicopter. Our approach is that we are hardware agnostic, so you can capture your assets out in the field via various methods and then conduct the actual inspection from your desk.
2. Get a holistic and consistent view of your inspection results and remove subjectivity. One of our customers was outsourcing their asset inspections and getting inaccurate and inconsistent defect results. The customer also climbed towers that did not require climbing resulting in unnecessary costs and safety risks. With our built-in inspection workflow and multiuser experience, they now have a solution that yields results without incurring unnecessary expenses and risks. 
3. Identify more defects than traditional inspection methods. One of our customers identified 60% more defects with our virtual inspection program than when using foot patrols. Read our whitepaper which compares the effectiveness of foot patrols and virtual inspections here.
4. Reduced inspection time. Inspecting the grid at a desk using our solution – Grid Vision^®, allows the inspectors to quickly identify and confirm defect suggestions. One of our customers reduced inspection time per pole by 2/3 by deploying our virtual inspection approach and software.  
5. Reallocation of expensive resources. We all know that there is a skills shortage in the utility industry. With virtual inspections, you do not need to send experienced engineers into the field. You can capture the images and conduct a virtual inspection at your desk. The experienced engineer acting as a subject matter expert only needs to do the quality review using our software. This way your experienced engineers can focus on high-priority and high-value work.  
6. Improve your capital planning. Base your capital planning on accurate data and appropriate risk tolerances. We have supported two of our customers to move over $10 Million of inspection costs from O&M to capital by creating digital assets of their system. 
7. Use the data you are collecting. If you are sending out teams for inspections and collecting data let us ensure you only capture what is necessary and then maximize the usage. With over a decade of experience, we have a proven methodology for data collection to ensure that the captured data is not only suitable for a virtual inspection but for broader use beyond the inspection itself. If you are already spending your budget on collecting data then get it right the first time. 
8. An image tells a 1000 words. With our structured approach, we work with utility customers to collect the right number of images at the correct angle so they can be successfully utilized for a virtual inspection, as well as use cases beyond the inspection. In our approach, we link the images to the right asset, metadata, asset data, inspection data and grid topology and build your image-based digital asset that you can utilize across your organization.  
9. Reduce your environmental and O&M costs by conducting virtual inspections and eliminate verification visits by providing teams access to the image-based digital asset so they can conduct most of the work from their desk and only go out in the field when necessary. Working with one of our customers we estimated they could potentially save 150.000 tons of CO2 per year by adopting our approach across their grid. 
10. Reduce costs and drive efficiency across your organization by utilizing your image-based digital asset. Our customers are now using Grid Vision to identify common vulnerabilities, verify site access, optimize workforce management, capital planning and support regulatory reporting.  

We have given 10 reasons to add virtual inspections to your asset inspection program and we have not even mentioned the value of AI.

Virtual inspections are another inspection method in your toolbox and complement your existing methods. With our approach you don’t replace your current inspection program but add virtual inspections, as certain inspections still require ground patrols like testing pole foundations and drilling for rot, etc. One of our customers has now incorporated virtual inspections as 50% of their inspection program.

So what are you waiting for? Contact us today for a free workshop where we can help you see how virtual inspections can support your operations.

• This project will transform WEB’s asset management strategy by providing accurate asset data for all utility assets.   
• eSmart Systems will deliver a program to capture approximately 100.000 assets for inventory. 
• Grid Vision^® will be used to create an image-based digital inventory that represents the physical infrastructure.  

The Bonaire population is growing, and tourism is developing. Water- en Energiebedrijf Bonaire (WEB) supply water and electricity to 20.000 households, companies and organizations on the island. The project will utilize eSmart Systems Grid Vision^® Asset Digitization solution to capture the required asset information from the field including visual documentation on their substations, MSRs, cabinets, masts, electricity and water meters.  

About WEB Bonaire

Water- en Energiebedrijf Bonaire N.V. (WEB Bonaire) supplies water and electricity to Bonaire. Water- en Energiebedrijf Bonaire N.V. (WEB) was founded in 1963 and is owned by the Public Entity of Bonaire (OLB). WEB is responsible for the sustainable, reliable and affordable production and supply of drinking water, electricity distribution, collection and treatment of wastewater and the distribution of irrigation.

www.webbonaire.com  

About eSmart Systems

eSmart Systems is a leading provider of AI-powered solutions for the inspection and maintenance of critical infrastructure. With our software solution, Grid Vision^® we revolutionize how utility companies operate and maintain their transmission and distribution networks. We support utilities globally to reduce inspection costs, make inspections safer, improve the quality of asset data and prolong asset life. eSmart Systems has more than 20 years of international experience in establishing and operating knowledge-based, leading IT and energy-related companies targeting global markets.

This article is a joint collaboration with Phoenix Air Unmanned

Phoenix Air Unmanned provides aerial drone services nationwide. LiDAR and Aerial Photography for powerline inspection services. Aerial Surveys & Mapping for Engineering Design. They have authorizations to fly beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) and offer multiple payload mounting capabilities.

In hindsight of the BNEF – The New Energy Outlook: Grids report, it is apparent that large investments across the grid infrastructure are needed to continue on the net-zero trajectory. According to the report, the power grid will double in size by 2050.

We are arriving at the fifth industrial revolution (impressively, the power grid’s implementation spans back to the second!), and it is defined by data. When being described, this is the time of technological advancements, automation, increased operational efficiency and technical assistance. And it is just in time, as these are required for us to be able to build out, maintain and connect a doubled-sized power grid in less than 30 years. So even if we call it a revolution, this is a gradual change – and lets be honest, we did see it coming.

• BVLOS flying inspected over

120 miles

in a single day

The new age of powerline inspections.

When working with utilities on their infrastructure inspections, we are constantly being reminded of the immense challenges that modernization, digitalization and huge expansion poses for utilities. And we are not claiming that we can solve all of these challenges on our own, but virtual inspections can support the energy transition and is aligned with the expectations of the new revolution when it is done right.

In a recent study with Xcel Energy, virtual inspections found 60% more defects than foot patrol, a staggering result that underlines the value of complementing traditional inspection methods with new technologies and methodologies. For the virtual inspection in this study, the footage was captured primarily using state-of-the-art Phoenix Air Unmanned (PAU) drones (some by helicopter), deployed with advanced camera technology from Phase One to provide high-resolution imagery for Artificial Intelligence (AI)-assisted defect detection. The virtual inspection was conducted by EDM International utilizing eSmart Systems Grid Vision^® solution.

Drones, or UAV’s (unmanned aerial vehicle, but for ease– let’s just call them drones) are the latest addition to the air space. These smaller, unmanned air crafts carry huge potential, especially when it comes to infrastructure inspections.

• With their size, drones can easily fly closer to the assets without putting a human in harms way.
• Drones are also way more sustainable than helicopters, both in carbon footprint and cost of flying.
• The imagery captured by these types of drones are ideal to use in AI-assisted virtual inspections, as they can fly closer and capture high resolution imagery.
• The accuracy of the AI will also improve significantly when the images are of high quality, and therefore save time and money for the utility.

Today’s regulatory landscape.

Another critical difference that sets drones apart from their bigger, carbon-hungry cousins is the ability to fly beyond visual line of sight, or BVLOS for short. Flying BVLOS often requires applying for a waiver from the governmental entity of aviation with clear scope and operational descriptions.

The operator must present a clear safety case on how they will deconflict with both traffic in the skies and people on the ground. These safety mitigations may include:

• limiting the operating environment,
• use of electronic surveillance equipment to monitor the airspace,
• or keeping the drone close to the infrastructure that is being inspected.

All safety mitigations are outlined in a concept of operations (ConOps) – which is provided to the aviation authority along with operations manuals and safety management systems detailing the quality of the operator.

Tying this back to the fourth industrial revolution, proponents of using drones list the increased pressure on governments to change their current approach to fit the new possibilities that technology brings. The BVLOS flying of drones to capture infrastructure data is a perfect example of a shifting paradigm.

Utilities provide the ideal proving ground for advancing BVLOS drone operations under aviation regulations. The transmission line environment is defined as

“to include use of proximity to infrastructure as a mitigation to deconflict with manned aircraft traffic”

and routine inspections fall under public interest. As drone inspections scale to larger equipment, federal regulators require the operator to convey how the specific flight operation is in the interest of the public. With the ongoing electrification, and the ever-growing need for an uninterrupted delivery of power, the interest and acceptance has increased.

Following years of lessons learned and 13,000 inspection miles later, Phoenix Air Unmanned (PAU) recently secured a nationwide waiver for BVLOS drone inspection flights. The transmission line inspection waiver unlocks BVLOS operations for all utilities recognized by the US Department of Energy, providing huge value to increase the cost-efficiency of infrastructure inspections.

46% reduction

in the cost of drone data acquisition

It all started with five miles.

In 2015, Xcel Energy sanctioned a five-mile proof of concept transmission line inspection using drones. Limited by site access, weather, and shortened flight distances, they kept the unmanned aircraft within visual line of sight, the field crew took two and a half days to inspect five miles. Traditional foot patrol methods would have completed the inspection in a single day, underlining that something needed to change to increase the efficiency.

Today, under the BVLOS inspection authorization, the same five-mile stretch piloted by Xcel Energy in 2015 can be inspected in one single flight. For PAU, the distance per flight has grown to ten miles with field crews averaging 45 miles of inspections per day. In July 2020, a flight team inspected over 120 miles in western Minnesota in a single day. The area provided ideal conditions for launch and recovery access, aircraft command and control link, and met all the criteria presented in the safety case to fly extended flight lengths.

Changing the regulatory landscape.

As BVLOS operations have scaled, the cost per mile for acquisition has plummeted. Initial authorizations from regulators required visual observers in a “daisy-chain” configuration to keep watch of the skies when the unmanned aircraft was out of view of the pilot. Additional personnel along the route of flight provided little economic value for drone inspections. Today, the PAU BVLOS waiver authorizes the use of a single “Electronic Observer” monitoring airspace for the pilot. Removal of visual observers and the extension of flight lengths by no longer accounting for visual observer viewing locations has led to a 46% reduction in the cost of drone data acquisition.

In 2016, 14 CFR Part 107 was introduced by the Federal Aviation Administration for commercial operations of unmanned aircraft. The rule limited operators to less than 55 pounds total gross weight. The future of drone inspections is pairing BVLOS inspections flights with aircraft that exceed the 55-pound weight limit. An increase in weight will mean an increase in capability to include flying farther with multiple inspection sensors, driving the efficiency and financial gains even further than before and provides utilities the ability to gather high-resolution RGB imagery as well as LiDAR and infrared at the same time.

Some companies – including PAU – are operating larger aircraft outside of the bounds of Part 107. In 2023, the SwissDrones SDO 50 was put into service for powerline inspections. The aircraft flies for two hours at a maximum takeoff weight of 192 pounds – carrying a suite of sensors such as high-resolution inspection cameras, LiDAR, and infrared and near-infrared cameras. Regulators recognize the need for larger aircraft operating in the National Airspace System and are working towards a new set of rules to accommodate these systems. While larger aircraft can be operated under exemptions today, rules are still years away from going into effect, but every journey starts with one step (or five miles of transmission line).  

Scalable BVLOS powerline inspections via drone are available now. The foundation is being set by industry leaders who bring aviation experience when seeking approval from regulatory authorities. Operational history and use cases provided by the utility industry – paired with the transmission line operating environment – are under review by regulators. BVLOS rule making will eventually go into effect and the utility industry will be the first to benefit on a wide scale – long before commercial package delivery by drone is common (but we are looking forward to that too!).

Concluding thoughts.

The increased efficiency and financial gains from being able to acquire multiple data sources from one single flight provides a huge step towards grid digitalization and modernization. For virtual inspections to make the high returns that utilities are expecting, they need to consider the holistic inspection process and beyond, not all technologies and methodologies will deliver the same results.  eSmart Systems understands the importance of creating great partnerships for our customers, to ensure our AI-assisted software can help utilities detect and identify the smallest defects on their assets, safely behind their desks and that the data captured can be utilized beyond the inspection. We believe in end-to-end solutions for infrastructure inspections, and we are happy to partner with Phoenix Air Unmanned to lead the way for utilities in the new era of inspections.

Contact us today and see how Grid Vision is transforming the way the world’s leading energy providers inspect and maintain critical infrastructure.

Recently, there has been an increased adoption of digital tools to carry out overhead line inspections like the use of drones and cameras to collect imagery or visual data and manually analyze them, but a more efficient and effective method of conducting those inspections is by completely digitalizing the process and using AI technology to analyze and sort out the data. Utilities are looking at software to check the health and performance of transmission and distribution assets as part of a suite of digital tools in order to create agility and safety on that side of their operations.

In an October webinar we did with Xcel Energy, Brian Long, Xcel Energy’s Project Director for Transmission Asset Management, clarified “The main reason we do this is to improve our inventory and really understand the condition of our assets.” With fast and robust data being sent to the utility through virtual inspections, utilities can have a clearer picture of the health and efficiency of their T&D network without sending work crews which saves time, gas and labor money, and reduces worker exposure to job hazards from lines and substations. AI-based inspection solutions can also find more defects than traditional methods, and can be used with modeling tools to help predict issues with assets on a timeline which can increase both efficiency and safety.

• BVLOS flying inspected over

120 miles

in a single day

The new age of powerline inspections.

When working with utilities on their infrastructure inspections, we are constantly being reminded of the immense challenges that modernization, digitalization and huge expansion poses for utilities. And we are not claiming that we can solve all of these challenges on our own, but virtual inspections can support the energy transition and is aligned with the expectations of the new revolution when it is done right.

Virtual line inspections provide a wealth of data in conjunction with various sensors and other devices that can be utilized in the decision-making process for all sorts of applications beyond just asset health. The timing of investment decisions can hinge on which systems most need addressing, and having a complete picture of one’s systems through a synthesized data repository can inform and accelerate that process. More granular data can be used to target specific parts or aspects that need addressing rather than more costly replacements of an entire unit or system. Data can also be used to create efficiencies for field crews both in management’s ability to effectively allocate their efforts, and for the crews themselves if they have easy access to the data in the field. The whole of the utility apparatus can be more deft with these data and analytics tools.

The key to unlocking the business value of virtual inspections is a smart plan executed by skilled staff

On our podcast about AI misconceptions, eSmart System’s CTO Erik Asberg said:

46% reduction

in the cost of drone data acquisition

It all started with five miles.

In 2015, Xcel Energy sanctioned a five-mile proof of concept transmission line inspection using drones. Limited by site access, weather, and shortened flight distances, they kept the unmanned aircraft within visual line of sight, the field crew took two and a half days to inspect five miles. Traditional foot patrol methods would have completed the inspection in a single day, underlining that something needed to change to increase the efficiency.

To get the best use out of the data and the analytics, a robust plan with buy-in from the entire organization is necessary to reach the most efficient applications of the data for the highest return of investment in terms of time, money, and safety. It is also prudent to ensure that staff is properly trained to utilize these tools, or partnerships are formed with skilled professionals familiar with these processes. Collaboration and partnership in general can help fill knowledge gaps for an organization looking to onboard more advanced systems. The tools at our disposal are capable of synthesizing a lot, but they are only tools, we cannot forget the human element.

Concluding thoughts.

Throughout this year, we’ve seen many advancements in utility infrastructure and systems as they modernize for resilience and increasing customer expectations. Making the most out of data in transmission and distribution is both part of the modernization process and an accelerant of it. By creating efficiencies in this space utilities can open up resources for further investment and planning. Collecting data can allow for proactive decision-making on upgrading which makes the grid more resilient. With a clearer understanding of assets, workers can be better allocated and hazards can be identified faster. A utility with a good plan, knowledgeable partner, and trained staff that are kept up throughout the process can use virtual inspections alongside a suite of tools to improve not just their T&D, but the whole enterprise.

Contact us today and see how Grid Vision is transforming the way the world’s leading energy providers inspect and maintain critical infrastructure.

We’ll be presenting with Alectra at CEATI T&D!

We are pleased to announce that eSmart Systems will be participating in the upcoming Transmission & Distribution Conference organized by CEATI. We are looking forward to connecting with customers and partners.

We are particularly excited to share that we will be delivering a presentation in collaboration with Alectra, showcasing our joint project. Additionally, we invite attendees to visit our booth #104, where they can learn more about our cutting-edge inspection solutions and discuss how eSmart Systems can support their specific needs.

Contact us if you would like to book a demo at the event.

Contact us

We’ll be presenting with Alectra at CEATI T&D!

We are pleased to announce that eSmart Systems will be participating in the upcoming Transmission & Distribution Conference organized by CEATI. We are looking forward to connecting with customers and partners.

We are particularly excited to share that we will be delivering a presentation in collaboration with Alectra, showcasing our joint project. Additionally, we invite attendees to visit our booth #104, where they can learn more about our cutting-edge inspection solutions and discuss how eSmart Systems can support their specific needs.

Contact us if you would like to book a demo at the event.

Contact us

We’ll be presenting with Alectra at CEATI T&D!

We are pleased to announce that eSmart Systems will be participating in the upcoming Transmission & Distribution Conference organized by CEATI. We are looking forward to connecting with customers and partners.

We are particularly excited to share that we will be delivering a presentation in collaboration with Alectra, showcasing our joint project. Additionally, we invite attendees to visit our booth #104, where they can learn more about our cutting-edge inspection solutions and discuss how eSmart Systems can support their specific needs.

Contact us if you would like to book a demo at the event.

Contact us

We’ll be presenting with Alectra at CEATI T&D!

We are pleased to announce that eSmart Systems will be participating in the upcoming Transmission & Distribution Conference organized by CEATI. We are looking forward to connecting with customers and partners.

We are particularly excited to share that we will be delivering a presentation in collaboration with Alectra, showcasing our joint project. Additionally, we invite attendees to visit our booth #104, where they can learn more about our cutting-edge inspection solutions and discuss how eSmart Systems can support their specific needs.

Contact us if you would like to book a demo at the event.

Contact us