🚁🔌 Protecting our electric #grid just got a tech boost! Oak Ridge National Laboratory's #drone-based inspections are enhancing how we monitor power lines, identifying potential issues before they escalate. Thanks to funding from OE, this innovation ensures a more reliable & resilient energy future.
A sensor on the #electricgrid picks up a strange blip in current or voltage. What’s happening, and will it cause an outage? Usually, a utility worker must travel in person to check, sometimes hacking through brush to reach a rural power line. Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory developed a new automated drone inspection system that can respond rapidly to unusual electric grid behavior, preventing outages. A demonstration for partner EPB of Chattanooga showed the value of drone-mounted, real-time data from sensors that record thermal images, radio frequency and other telltale clues that equipment is failing. Office of Electricity https://lnkd.in/eWVMZmw5