NYPA approved for drone use beyond visual line of sight to inspect energy assets

The New York Power Authority (NYPA) announced that it will be expanding its drone capabilities as part of the asset monitorisation and inspection of its electric infrastructure around the state, following the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) granting of a waiver to fly drones beyond visual line of sight.

The FAA granted NYPA license to fly unmanned aircraft systems beyond the visual line of sight of the pilot in command in a one-mile radius in any unrestricted, or Class G, airspace without prior approval. The approved waiver expands the Power Authority’s ability to use drones to monitor and inspect its transmission, generation and canal assets throughout the state.

The waiver was obtained with the help of Skydio, a U.S. drone and software manufacturer providing equipment and advisory services. The waiver authorises operations through 2028 and is specific to Skydio drones.

“Remote operations allow for utilities like NYPA to multiply their workforce’s impact while reducing risk,” said Christina Park, Senior Director, Energy Strategy at Skydio. “Using autonomous drone technology as a tool to transform operational workflows and capture data hidden in plain sight will provide utilities with vital information for both asset management and emergency response decisions.”

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FAA regulations normally require pilots to maintain visual contact while operating a drone. The waiver allows operators to conduct missions without the requirement for the pilot or an observer to see the unmanned aircraft.

“In the past few years, NYPA has significantly invested in its robotics program, understanding that drones can safely and quickly inspect assets that are critical to the delivery of clean power throughout the state,” said New York Power Authority President and CEO Justin E. Driscoll. “The FAA-approved waiver will further expand the Power Authority’s asset inspection capabilities. NYPA is now well positioned as an energy industry leader to showcase the many uses for drone technology in our day-to-day electric utility operations.”

“Drones have become invaluable tools for safer and more efficient infrastructure inspection and monitoring,” said Skydio Regulatory Program Manager Jakee Stoltz. “This approval includes the Skydio X10, with upgraded Skydio Autonomy and obstacle avoidance, which enables NYPA to maintain critical infrastructure with greater confidence without the need for an expert pilot.

The Power Authority’s expanded ability to operate drones will primarily be used to inspect transmission assets and canal waterways. NYPA says drones “significantly” reduce the time required to inspect a transmission line, particularly after inclement weather or flooding.

“This FAA waiver represents a leap forward in NYPA’s ability to manage and inspect our assets more efficiently,” said NYPA Robotics Program Manager Peter Kalaitzidis. “By integrating advanced robotics technology into our operations, we can enhance our infrastructure’s reliability and performance, ensuring the delivery of clean energy to New York’s grid.”

Last year, NYPA announced that it had received a waiver from the FAA to conduct fully remote drone operations at its Blenheim-Gilboa Pumped Storage Power Project in Schoharie County.

Drones are operated at various NYPA sites throughout the state to monitor asset health, including the inspection of transmission lines, vegetation management and monitoring of overgrown trees, and spillway erosion mapping. More than 100 NYPA employees are now trained as drone pilots, up from 40 last year, and NYPA is investing more than $37 million in its drone program through 2028.

Earlier this year, New York-based startup Manifold Robotics announced the culmination of a product development effort in collaboration with the NYPA, which developed new sensing technologies and software algorithms to enable drones to leverage the electromagnetic fields (EMF) emitted by power transmission lines for navigation.

Manifold Robotics says by sensing the EMF emitted by transmission lines, drones can detect the presence of lines and estimate their distance to them, hopefully enabling automated collision avoidance or line tracking.

In 2021, NYPA sought bids and evaluated vendors in the artificial intelligence (AI) and analytics space in an effort to help streamline the process of analysing drone-captured images of its miles of powerlines. Buzz Solutions, an AI-powered software platform for data management, data processing, anomaly detections, and analytics for power line and grid infrastructure inspections, was selected in the open bidding process.

In November 2022, NYPA said that the AI technology is significantly improving its in-house drone inspection program, allowing transmission lines to be more quickly and thoroughly evaluated and any potential issues that could lead to power failure to be identified earlier.

Originally published by Sean Wolfe on power-grid.com