Ameren Illinois has adopted a new tool for power line maintenance and storm recovery.
When the power is out and the unusual silence of the neighborhood is interrupted by what sounds like an active beehive, that might mean power can be restored faster.
Ameren Drone Pilot Kyle Maxwell is demonstrating one of company’s 18 new devices. The power company is looking to double the number of drones it has in the field by the end of the year.
John Barud is Senior Director of Operations for Ameren. He says it allows the company to be more efficient and cost effective on emergency responses. “If you can think of a deeply forested wooded area, having to walk back there or try and drive back there, could take hours to find where a problem is. Somebody like Kyle could take the drone up and he could find it in a short period of time.”
Barud says the faster they identify the damage is the quicker they can get the resources in to make the repair.
He says the drones have already been helpful in getting power restored in flood conditions.