The idea of using drones for utilities has become a reality, thanks to a new partnership between Border States and eSmart Systems.
When it comes to inspecting electric, gas and oil infrastructure for things like outages and leaks, drone technology is proven to be safer and more efficient.
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Border States and eSmart Systems recently finalized an agency agreement to provide Thundercloud, Connected Drone and Connected Grid systems to customers in the 48 contiguous states. Both companies have been instrumental in advancing the technology specifically for the utility and power generation industries.
“The Thundercloud, Connected Drone and Connected Grid solutions from eSmart Systems are just what our utility, gas and oil customers have been asking for,” says Gerald “Poke” Buck, Border States Senior Vice President of Utility Sales. “We are thrilled about our new relationship with eSmart Systems and the high-quality, end-to-end, complete solutions that we will be supplying to the utility and industrial markets.”
Thundercloud is an end-to-end solution for infrastructure inspections, featuring the Connected Grid and Connected Drone software components. The main client, Connected Grid, provides real-time monitoring of the grid, allowing operators to detect faults plan maintenance needs, as well as reduce investments and costs related to outages.
The Connected Drone uses artificial intelligence to catalog infrastructure components and monitor their health. The results are used to view infrastructure status and provide a basis for maintenance tasks. This not only brings a significant safety component to the inspection of utility assets using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV’s), or drones, but allows for safe, efficient, reliable and intelligent grid operations.
“The partnership with Border States is an important milestone for eSmart Systems and our continued growth in the U.S. market,” says Knut E. Gustavsen, eSmart Systems Corporate Vice President and President in North America. “We are very excited to work with an industry leader such as Border States to further advance the applications of drones, big data analytics and intelligent asset management through our Thundercloud solution, to help utilities and their customers across the U.S. to lower costs and experience a more reliable service.”
Stay tuned for more information on the drone partnership between Border States and eSmart Systems.