Florida Power & Light is exploring the use of unmanned aerial systems to help restore power more quickly after a storm.
The company is testing drones that can fly to rural areas and hard-to-reach locations. The drones are equipped with cameras to stream video showing damages, allowing FPL to quickly assess repair plans, and avoid the time and expense of sending a helicopter and crew to do that work, said Florencia Contesse, a spokeswoman for the utility firm.
“We’re currently in the exploration phase, but in early tests it shows tremendous benefit,” she said.
Other technology FPL is testing includes robots that can be permanently placed in substations and remotely controlled to look for damage, as well as amphibious robots that could detect dangers in flooded areas.
As the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season gets underway Wednesday, FPL is one of many companies reaching out to customers urging them to be ready. TheNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has forecast one to four major hurricanes before the season ends Nov. 30, but also said this year’s predictions have higher levels of uncertainty than usual, CNN reported.
It’s been more than a decade since severe storms hit Florida, and an estimated 1 million people have moved to the state since then, many of them unfamiliar with hurricane preparedness, Contesse said.
About 90 percent of the customers of FPL, the largest electric utility in Florida and a subsidiary of NextEra Energy (NYSE: NEE), live within 20 miles of a coastline, making them vulnerable to flooding and storm surge, in addition to wind damage, she said.
FPL has two mobile command centers that it can quickly dispatch to affected areas, managing its network and coordinating with other first responders. It also has more than 90 designated staging sites throughout its 35-county footprint where crews and equipment can set up to be close to storm sites.
Source: Tampa Bay Business Journal