Wouldn’t it be great if we could just put hurricane season on hold while we ride out the pandemic?
All wishing aside; hurricane season is upon us. While we already feel challenged and stretched to capacity, one thing we may not have to endure too long if a storm comes is a power outage.
MD: This is very cool. As soon as the storm passes, we can have this up and looking and inspecting our plant and knowing immediately what sort of damage we have so we’re able to get our power back on that much sooner.
That’s Michael Dorr, lead pilot for Florida Power & Light’s Drone in a Box system.
MD: But for a utility to be able to see our infrastructure in areas where we can’t get to safely; to quickly fly over it and understand what our conditions are...the safety of our crews is paramount.
It’s a drone housed in a secure, air-conditioned box, ready to deploy to give them a bird’s eye view all year long, and keeps costs lower because of its efficiency.
In February – before COVID-19 – we were invited to a private demonstration at their Indiantown facility. We drove through open, natural Florida; past acres of FPL solar panels; and through several security stops.
Once inside, safety is top of mind, only it doesn’t yet include masks or gloves or hand sanitizer like we know so well now!
MD: On this site, on this plant, there is an anhydrous ammonia tank so if there is a leak and the alarm sounds, based on the winds we’re going to evacuate to the Martin Pavilion. There’s also fire ants. And then when we do go to the roof, please hold the handrail.
We meet others on the team.
ES: First off, my name is Eric Schwartz. I manage the drone program for Florida Power & Light NextEra Energy as a whole. The team that’s here today is under my organization called FPL A.I.R. – Aerial Intelligence Response.
Today we’ll be seeing two units. They plan to install two more, one in St. Lucie and the other in Indian River counties, by the end of this year. There’s also Todd Boward, lead flight operational manager.
TB: Mike puts together a flight plan and off that flight plan we begin to look at where we are going to be flying and what are the risks associated with that flight.
Risks like local aircraft, electrical poles, trees and even birds. Here’s Dorr again:
MD: We are very concerned about our air space – making sure our air space is clear while it’s in flight.
They work closely with the FAA and have an extensive training program. Outside we see a large box which is slowly opening to reveal the drone. It weighs 25 with the battery and it’s called…
MD: …Percepto Sparrow. It’s the company and the Sparrow is the name of the drone
We head up to the roof. Dorr explains today’s flight plan.
MD: So what the mission today is going to do: it’s going to take off out of the box, fly down the transmission corridor, out of site a little bit, and it will inspect the transmission corridor from areas that we can’t see from the ground. There’s a lot of trees over there so we’re able to see if there’s any vegetation growing up on the line.
It takes off, goes far out of sight, and all the while, several of the team has eyes and ears on it at all times. Eventually it makes its way back to us, and back into the box.
MD: Photos, video, live-streaming: all of those are capable with this drone.
The drone is online 24/7, ready to go.
MD: So, we’re able to quickly deploy this instead of charging batteries, getting all of our gear, traveling to the site; this is already here so we’re able to deploy it when we need it.
You can learn more here:
https://www.fpl.com/value/smart-technology/drones.html?cid=aliasdrones