Unmanned drones lead to power grid digitalization in C China’s Wuhan

Photo shows a drone carrying out an intelligent power inspection in Wuhan, central China’s Hubei Province. (Photo/Wang Chen)

In March, a subsidiary of State Grid Wuhan Power Supply Company in Hannan district, Wuhan, central China’s Hubei Province, was recognized by China’s State Grid Corporation as one of 50 prefecture-level demonstration units for drones deployed for power inspection in 2022 across the country.

In recent years, the State Grid Wuhan Power Supply Company has accelerated its journey to digital transformation, applying more new technologies and equipment in the operation and maintenance of the power network.

Deploying unmanned aerial vehicles during power inspections is key to the company’s digitalization process. During this work, a drone can plan routes, navigate and identify potential glitches automatically, resulting in higher efficiency and featuring more intelligent elements.

The company is equipped with 56 drones and 41 operators, and has built a smart system and management platform for drone inspection.

In 2022, the company’s drones completed 4,633 kilometers of inspection tours, monitored 226 power transmission lines and detected over 1,100 defects, playing an increasingly significant role in power grid operation and maintenance.

Looking ahead, the company intends to make drones smarter and integrate image recognition, edge computing, and artificial intelligence with drone-related technologies, enabling them to be applied in a wider range of scenarios and empowering a more digitalized power network.