Digital twin technology in utilities helps to solve future trouble spots and hazards today. From predicting asset breakdowns to vegetation analysis, digital twins are changing the utilities operational landscape.

E.DIS Netz, a subsidiary of one the largest energy service providers in Germany, the E.DIS Group, recently finished testing novel drone-based inspection solutions in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The tests were conducted as part of a larger program for E.DIS Netz, which aims to evaluate how drones can be used in power line inspections.

The T&D grid is under pressure like never before. There are a number of data-driven digital solutions to help shore up the grid that have been getting a lot of press lately. While grid inspection may seem like a mainly analog process and doesn’t get the press other utility operations do, it too can be strengthened through digitalization and play a crucial role in the digital utility of the future.

The most used power line defect detection method around the world is RGB photography. but LiDAR power line inspection offers unique advantages. The following article gives an overview of how LiDAR power line inspection works and where it offers the greatest advantages.

EAM Netz, a German network operator, recently concluded tests in the Rheinland Pfalz region, where the goal was to compare traditional power line inspections with novel drone-based solutions. As the importance of electricity is growing in our lives, so does the need for dependable and well-maintained power line infrastructure. Technical innovations could help to ensure that in the future.