Drones and AI: Future is Now for SCE’s Aerial Inspections
The utility is at the forefront of combining aerial vehicles, artificial intelligence and machine learning to eliminate and lower wildfire risks.
Helitankers Prepare to Take Flight Against SoCal Wildfires
alifornia’s wildfire response efforts are about to get a huge boost with the addition of state-of-the-art firefighting equipment to help combat devastating wildfires throughout Southern California. ...
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Drones Take SCE’s Dam Safety Inspections to New Heights
They’re quiet, they capture crucial high-definition images and, most of all, they’re safer. And, though also widely used in utility equipment inspections and wildfire mitigation efforts, drones have quickly become an essential tool for Southern California Edison in its dam safety inspections too. ...
Photo Credit: Ernesto Sanchez and Roberto Lazarte
SCE’s drones, hovering in place to take equipment photos, typically travel between points at 5 mph to 25 mph.
Photo Credit: Ernesto Sanchez and Roberto Lazarte
Drones have become invaluable to SCE’s Wildfire Mitigation Plan, conducting more than 200,000 inspections annually in high fire risk areas.
Photo Credit: Ernesto Sanchez and Roberto Lazarte
Drone inspections of poles, power lines and other equipment now make up 75% of aerial inspections in high fire risk areas, up from 25% just last year.
Photo Credit: Ernesto Sanchez and Roberto Lazarte
Though SCE has conducted a Beyond Visual Line of Sight pilot, operators still only fly drones for inspections within their line of sight.
Photo Credit: Ernesto Sanchez and Roberto Lazarte
SCE’s drones are flown by FAA and SCE Air Operations-authorized pilots who follow SCE’s stringent cybersecurity and confidentiality policies.
Because the drones are small and easy to carry, SCE’s two-person crews can easily hike to inspect areas off the beaten path.
Taken from a drone, this photo reveals a cross-arm degraded by the environment and by woodpeckers, quickly recognizable by artificial intelligence that would not have been viewable from ground inspection.
Helitankers Prepare to Take Flight Against SoCal Wildfires
alifornia’s wildfire response efforts are about to get a huge boost with the addition of state-of-the-art firefighting equipment to help combat devastating wildfires throughout Southern California. ...
SCE Expedites Grid Hardening to Reduce PSPS
Southern California Edison customers on the Tapo circuit in Simi Valley experienced four Public Safety Power Shutoffs between last November and December, affecting some, if not ...
Drones Take SCE’s Dam Safety Inspections to New Heights
They’re quiet, they capture crucial high-definition images and, most of all, they’re safer. And, though also widely used in utility equipment inspections and wildfire mitigation efforts, drones have quickly become an essential tool for Southern California Edison in its dam safety inspections too. ...
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Drones and AI: Future is Now for SCE’s Aerial Inspections
The utility is at the forefront of combining aerial vehicles, artificial intelligence and machine learning to eliminate and lower wildfire risks.
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Photo Credit: Ernesto Sanchez and Roberto Lazarte
Video Credit: Joseph Foulk