Energy News

The introduction of commercial drones to the market has given many industries the potential to revolutionise the way they conduct business.

Inspecting power lines and transmission towers has always been a high-risk job, particularly as many inspections require helicopters to fly very low in order to get accurate visuals. From a health and safety perspective not only is this dangerous, but it also disrupts the local environment.

Since 2016, Broadspectrum has been testing new technologies, such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), or drones, fitted with high resolution cameras to inspect the towers and transmission lines throughout Auckland. Since then this service has carried out over 600 kilometres of successful missions.

Equipped with their own fleet of UAVs, Broadspectrum is leveraging new camera and sensor technologies for increasingly positive results. The visual asset inspection cameras can capture images of power lines, roof tops and access ways, while the thermal imaging allows easy identification of hot spots on conductors, joints and insulators, as well as being used for substation or pipeline thermal inspections.

The new data has enabled Broadspectrum to build 3D maps using photogrammetric technology which outline terrain and contours and identify landslides. This is opening doors to a whole new approach towards the planning of the operations and maintenance of the grid.

“Leveraging new sensor technologies allows assets to be thoroughly inspected and reported on,” says Matt De Bono, Broadspectrum’s UAV Operations Manager. “We can then provide more accurate recommendations and forward-working plans without the need for outages.”

Matt and his team of five own and operate a fleet of three different types of UAVs, each designed for a different purpose. For smaller scale missions in tight areas the DJI Inspire V1.0 is deployed, whereas for larger missions or for larger payloads (additional weight) required over a shorter duration, the team uses the DJI Matrice 600 Pro.

The largest of the fleet is the Altus ORC2 Helicopter, equipped with a 50-megapixel camera and a radiometric camera. This UAV is deployed on large-scale missions requiring high endurance and can be in the air for up to 45 minutes at a time.

The use of this new technology allows Broadspectrum’s clients to benefit from substantial economic savings and to improve the day-to-day efficiency of their operations, while keeping staff out of potentially high-risk situations. 

Matt De Bono says: “We have held CAA Part 102 certification since May 2016 and we pride ourselves on completing many successful operations safely for our clients.”
Broadspectrum is part of Ferrovial, an international leader providing innovative solutions to the Utility sector which are designed to improve infrastructure performance and operational effectiveness.

To find out more information on our drone program please visit http://www.broadspectrum.com or contact Matt De Bono Matt.DeBono@broadspectrum.com