Te list of how Dominion uses drones is
long and growing. Drones monitor the health of Dominion solar panels and the condition of its wind turbine blades. Some drones conduct indoor inspections while others perform external inspections, surveying, and mapping. Along electric transmission lines, drones are used to monitor the status of everything from the vegetation along the right-of-way and structures to the health of components such as insulators. Te company is experimenting with sensors that can detect methane, which can indicate a natural gas leak. Because the technology is so new, Robie
says, one of the challenges is “proving the technology to ensure it’s finding exactly what we want during all of the various inspections.” Dominion personnel are being careful not to oversell drones but instead to continually ask, “Is a drone the right technology for the job?” Drones have already proven their effectiveness
for Dominion. Robie cites increased operational safety, efficiency, and lower inspection costs as the major benefits of drone integration. He compares the time required to erect scaffolding or deploy a bucket truck with the ease of launching a drone. “Sometimes it could take multiple days before we were able to get up and see those areas we’re looking to inspect. Now, we can get up there in a fairly short amount of time.”
BVLOS: The Game Changer Dominion has been working with Virginia Tech’s Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership (MAAP) to test the use of drones in inspecting power lines. A designated FAA UAS test site since 2013, MAAP conducts research to support the safe integration of drones into the US National Airspace System. It’s often said drones will follow a crawl-walk-run development time line, and according to MAAP’s new director, Tombo Jones, they are now in the crawl stage. MAAP is also working with Wing, an
Alphabet company and FAA-approved Part 135 operator for small-package delivery. Customers in Christiansburg, Virginia, can order coffee, meals, Girl Scout cookies, phar- macy products, and library books for delivery by Wing drones. Tese BVLOS deliveries are free, part of the FAA Beyond Program, which
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SEPTEMBER 2021 ROTOR 43
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