Drones help maintain Long Island power grid, spot troublesome trees and wires
GLEN HEAD, Long Island (WABC) -- PSEG Long Island, the island's power company, is using drones to help maintain the power grid that provides electricity to more than one million homes and businesses.
The utility says the power grid is 68 percent more reliable now than it was five years ago.
They are contracting with pilots from ULC Robotics and using the drones to spot aging wires and to pinpoint overgrown vegetation before it has a chance to pull down wires.
The information is also used to identify areas for tree trimming, so unstable trees and dead limbs can be removed before they have a chance to fall during storms.
The two companies began working together in 2016 under a large-scale pilot program.
Last year, the utility set a record for tree trimming on Long Island power lines.
On Monday, they conducted remote aerial inspections of transmission lines and towers in Glen Head.
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