All Swiss high-voltage lines are monitored with drones

The electricity grid operator Swissgrid wants to deploy unmanned aerial vehicles to inspect the high-voltage lines. Thanks to the drone flights, problems can be identified and resolved at an early stage without the affected network part having to be taken out of service for inspection, SRF reports.

In 2022, Swissgrid successfully tested unmanned aerial vehicles for line inspections in a pilot project.

How does it work?

Those responsible usually searched the power lines for damage using simple tools such as binoculars. In addition, mechanics climbed on the masts and checked the condition.

Drones equipped with digital cameras take new photos on a precisely defined flight path, always from the same perspective. An algorithm then compares the photos with other or older images and detects anomalies.

Thanks to the automated image evaluation, rust formation on power poles, defective insulators or tall trees can be detected at an early stage.

who flies

Swissgrid does not want to carry out the drone checks with its own personnel, writes srf.ch. The company is looking for “external solutions”. The lines of the high-voltage grid covered a total of 6,700 kilometers and ran over 12,000 pylons. The same number of inspections are required each year, approximately 12,000.

Swissgrid has been using drones in hard-to-reach places for some time, writes srf.ch. These checks also take place in collaboration with (cantonal) electricity companies, which have been training their own drone pilots for several years to inspect the high-voltage grid, the power plants and their surroundings from the air.

(dsc)