The Escuela Politécnica Superior de Ávila, affiliated with the University of Salamanca (USAL), and Iberdrola have completed the ‘Data Collection’ project, a “pioneering” initiative in RD that involves “a novel method of capturing three-dimensional information from electrical installations using unmanned aerial vehicles.”
USAL professor Diego González Aguilera explained that this system consists of capturing in three dimensions, through photogrammetry, thermography and laser scanning, the main characteristics and dimensions of substations, transformers and power lines.
The system tests have been carried out at the Ávila and Jumilla (Murcia) electrical substations. This system will allow the design of distribution infrastructures and their inventory, maintenance and modernisation tasks to be “improved”, making the work of the engineers who design these facilities and those responsible for their operation “considerably” easier.
The project has been co-financed by the Ministry of Economy within its ‘Innpacto’ programme. The project has created a patent and four intellectual property registrations based on the models created, as it can “revolutionise the review and maintenance systems in electricity distribution networks”.
