Illinois utility expands drone inspection program with Skydio Dock

Electric utility ComEd says it is expanding its drone program to allow pilots to operate inspection drones remotely, without being present on site. The utility has secured all the necessary waivers required from the FAA to conduct operations in which the drone flies beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) of the operator. And it is currently training pilots to automate drone flights using the Skydio Dock docking and recharging station.

ComEd supplies power to more than 4 million customers across northern Illinois, which is about 70% of the state’s population. The company says remote monitoring through drones will improve the overall grid performance because on-demand surveillance capabilities will increase ComEd’s ability to rapidly inspect equipment throughout its service territory.

Using an autonomous drone docking and recharging station essentially means the company need not dispatch trucks of crews to perform in-person inspections. And with drones…