Keep an eye on the sky above throughout late September because you might see some low flying drones throughout parts of the Wimmera.
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Powercor are set to begin their largest drone trial, with the company investigating how the technology may be used in the future to maintain a safe and reliable network for homes and business.
Over a six week period, a range of different types of drones will inspect 10,000 poles throughout the Wimmera, parts of the Surf Coast, areas south of Ballarat and parts of the Otways.
Inspections will also occur in areas around Bendigo, Clunes, Woodend, Winchelsea, Colac and Wemen.
Powercor's head of digital Luke Skinner said the benefit of drone inspections was they could cover a large area quickly and capture in greater detail information about power assets.
"This trial is about finding new ways to keep our network operating safely and reliably," Mr Skinner said.
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"We will be operating these drone inspections alongside our traditional inspection program to allow us to analyse results and accuracy.
"Our highly-experienced asset inspectors will examine data captured by the drones and if they detect defects they will direct these to our maintenance teams to address.
"These ongoing trials are building our knowledge and understanding about how this new technology may be incorporated into our annual program of work inspecting poles, powerlines and other infrastructure."
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The drones will capture high resolution images and thermographic information, helping to locate 'hot spots' on the network which may lead to faults in the future.
The latest trial was a significant expansion of previous, trials which have tested the capability of using drones to inspect pole tops and powerlines, including in areas that are in remote terrain that are often difficult to access.
Flights are scheduled to take place throughout September and October during daylight hours, weather permitting.
The work is in addition to Powercor's ongoing continuous program of asset inspections, which are also being conducted by crews in vehicles, on foot and by helicopter.
For more information on Powercor's inspection programs visit their website.
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