{"id":2322,"date":"2018-03-03T18:29:58","date_gmt":"2018-03-03T18:29:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bestdroneforthejob.com\/?p=2322"},"modified":"2019-02-16T19:57:25","modified_gmt":"2019-02-16T19:57:25","slug":"duke-energy-using-drones-restore-power-puerto-rico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bestdroneforthejob.com\/blog\/duke-energy-using-drones-restore-power-puerto-rico\/","title":{"rendered":"Duke Energy is Using Drones to Restore Power in Puerto Rico"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a new one for the drone industry, Dolce and Gabbana used drones<\/a> to showcase their new handbags down a runway at a resent fashion event. But hundreds of miles away in Puerto Rico, a power company is putting drones to a much more significant use. <\/p>\n

Duke Energy, a utilities company helping with efforts to restore power in the hurricane and floods-ravaged US territory, is using drones<\/a> to speed up those efforts. <\/p>\n

The Drones have made a huge difference helping more homes get power faster. They have also drastically improved worker safety. <\/p>\n

Duke Energy went to Puerto Rico in January when the local utility company was struggling to bring back power to thousands of homes. This was the first situation where they were able to properly deploy drones to reconnect power lines. <\/p>\n

The drone operations were so successful that power restoration within one area went from 68% of customers to 94% within just a month. <\/p>\n

Tough Terrain<\/h2>\n
\"Puerto
Tito Caraballo, Flickr<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The biggest challenge for utilities working in Puerto Rico was how to reconnect power lines in remote areas. The dense vegetation and hilly terrain made it a huge challenge to send power lines across large areas. <\/p>\n

There was an attempt to use Helicopters. In fact, helicopters were (and still are) helpful in restoring power in certain locations. But in hilly areas, they proved expensive and dangerous. <\/p>\n

And even in normal conditions, using a helicopter to string power lines is still hazardous. In 2017, a pilot died<\/a> in Indiana after his helicopter crashed as he was putting up power lines. <\/p>\n

So Duke Energy ruled out using helicopters in hazardous terrain. <\/p>\n

Another attempt involved using a brass projectile to carry a nylon cord over long distances. That proved ineffective. The projectile could not cover the long distances between hill peaks. <\/p>\n

Using Drones<\/h2>\n
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