Inspecting transmission and distribution networks, as well as solar and wind power plants using drones with integrated software. This is the goal of Enel, which has begun testing this technology in Brazil. According to the company, the equipment has embedded artificial intelligence that analyzes the images collected in real time, thus contributing to making preventive maintenance of distribution and generation assets more efficient.
Furthermore, the equipment will help reduce interruptions in the power supply and increase the level of availability of plants for the electrical system. The project is being developed by Horus, a company participating in Energy Start – Enel’s startup incentive program in Brazil – and is financed with resources from the R&D (Research & Development) program of ANEEL (National Electric Energy Agency). In total, approximately R$ 2 million were invested.
In this first phase, the aircraft are being used to assess the medium and high voltage networks of Enel distributors in the states of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Goiás and Ceará. The company currently uses drones for field inspections, but the current technology does not include an artificial intelligence system and the image analysis process is still manual.
Drones in the solar sector
In the solar energy sector, these aircraft are essential for identifying panel failures through visual inspection, assisting with system installation and even finding the source of problems with more sophisticated models that analyze thermographic data.
According to Henrique Freitas, one of those responsible for DJI in Brazil together with Go Solar, from Golden Distribuidora, drones have significantly mitigated the time to identify problems, keeping the photovoltaic system fully operational. “For more complex analysis, there are drones with visual inspection and 2D and 3D mapping. This equipment, when used in combination with software, can transform simple images into 3D, that is, into georeferenced photos. This makes it possible to measure distances of areas and volumes accurately,” explained Freitas.
Comments
Comments are moderated before publication.Comments should be respectful and contribute to a healthy debate. Offensive comments may be removed. The opinions expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the author. Canal Solar.