An improved method for pylon extraction and vegetation encroachment analysis in high voltage transmission lines using LiDAR data

When the distance between an obstacle and a power line is less than the discharge distance, a discharge arc can be generated, resulting in the interruption of power supplies. Therefore, regular safety inspections are necessary to ensure the safe operation of power grids. Tall vegetation and buildings are the key factors threatening the safe operation of extra high voltage transmission lines within a power line corridor. Manual or laser intensity direction and ranging (LiDAR) based inspections are time consuming and expensive. To make safety inspections more efficient and flexible, a low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) remote-sensing platform, equipped with an optical digital camera, was used to inspect power line corridors. We propose a semi-patch matching algorithm based on epipolar constraints, using both the correlation coefficient (CC) and the shape of its curve to extract three dimensional (3D) point clouds for a power line corridor. We use a stereo image pair from inter-strip to improve power line measurement accuracy by transforming the power line direction to an approximately perpendicular to epipolar line. The distance between the power lines and the 3D point cloud is taken as a criterion for locating obstacles within the power line corridor automatically. Experimental results show that our proposed method is a reliable, cost effective, and applicable way for practical power line inspection and can locate obstacles within the power line corridor with accuracy better than ±0.5 m.

Power line mapping technique using all-terrain mobile laser scanning

Remote sensing methods for power line corridor surveys

Power lines are cables that carry electrical power from a power plant to an electrical substation. They must be connected between the tower structures in such a way that ensures minimum tension and sufficient clearance from the ground. Power lines can stretch and sag with the changing weather, eventually exceeding the planned tolerances. The excessive sags can then cause serious accidents, while hindering the durability of the power lines. We used photogrammetric techniques with a low-cost drone to achieve efficient 3D mapping of power lines that are often difficult to approach. Unlike the conventional image-to-object space approach, we used the object-to-image space approach using cubic grid points. We processed four strips of aerial images to automatically extract the power line points in the object space. Experimental results showed that the approach could successfully extract the positions of the power line points for power line generation and sag measurement with the elevation accuracy of a few centimeters.

Wildfires pose a significant threat to power line infrastructure, potentially causing large-scale power outages and severe economic and environmental damage. Early and accurate detection of wildfires within power line corridors is critical for enabling timely intervention and mitigating risks. In this paper, we propose an intelligent wildfire detection system based on the state-of-the-art YOLOv10 object detection algorithm. Leveraging UAV-acquired imagery and real-time edge processing, the system is designed to detect wildfire occurrences with high speed and precision in complex outdoor environments. Compared to traditional image classification and older detection networks, YOLOv10 offers enhanced performance in terms of detection accuracy, computational efficiency, and robustness under varying lighting and background conditions. We construct a wildfire detection dataset specific to power line corridors and perform extensive experiments to evaluate the model. The results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves a mean Average Precision (mAP) of 89.6%, with an inference time of 11.3 ms per frame, significantly outperforming previous YOLO versions and lightweight detection models.

Characterization and modeling of power line corridor elements from LiDAR point clouds

High-voltage power line digitization is one of the key contents of intelligent inspection of transmission line. Airborne LiDAR has obvious advantages in three-dimensional digital reconstruction of high-voltage power line. In this paper, a power line extraction algorithm for transmission line corridor based on LiDAR point cloud data is proposed. According to the distribution characteristics of point clouds in transmission line corridors, rough extraction of power lines is carried out. Noise points are eliminated by improved Hough and RANSAC parabola fitting method. Then the power lines are segmented horizontally and vertically. According to the vertical parabola model of a single power line and the straight line model of water surface, the complete power lines are extracted by model growth algorithm. Line point. The experimental results show that the accuracy of the proposed algorithm is 99.6%.

First results from the UKCCS

Little attention has been devoted to the potential diversity in residents' health responses when exposed to an uncertain environmental health risk. The present study explores whether subgroups of residents respond differently to a new high-voltage power line (HVPL) being put into operation. We used a quasi-experimental prospective field study design with two pretests during the construction of a new HVPL, and two posttests after it was put into operation. Residents living nearby (0-300 m, n = 229) filled out questionnaires about their health and their perception of the environment. We applied latent class growth models to investigate heterogeneity in the belief that health complaints were caused by a power line. Classes were compared on a wide range of variables relating to negative-oriented personality traits, perceived physical and mental health, and perceptions of the environment. We identified five distinct classes of residents, of which the largest (49%) could be described as emotionally stable and healthy with weak responses to the introduction of a new power line. A considerable minority (9%) responded more strongly to the new line being activated. Residents in this class had heard more about the health effects of power lines beforehand, were more aware of the activation of the new line, and reported a decrease in perceived health afterwards. Based on our findings we can conclude that there is a considerable heterogeneity in health responses to a new HVPL. Health risk perceptions appear to play an important role in this typology, which has implications for risk management.

Symptom reporting after the introduction of a new high-voltage power line: A prospective field study

This paper shows that with presently applied static capacity rating for overhead lines there is a high unutilized capacity a large percentage of the time. The possibility for applying dynamic line rating in order to reduce or postpone reinforcements of overhead lines using weather measurements in the power line corridor and thus not causing delays for the wind power planners is assessed in this paper. Very few occasions of low wind cooling in the power line corridor at the same time as high wind at nacelle height have been observed. (4 pages)

Due mainly to changes in land use, high nature value grasslands are becoming increasingly rare in agricultural areas. As a consequence, biodiversity is decreasing and many species are facing the risk of extinction. At the same time, the present‐day landscape contains many “new” grassland habitats, for example golf courses, roadside verges, power line corridors, and railway banks. These habitats are well distributed over the landscape with a potential to connect remnant patches of valuable grasslands. As all kinds of grasslands, they need appropriate management to preserve biodiversity. To achieve this, innovative solutions are needed. In order to exchange knowledge and experiences in this field, we established a cross‐disciplinary working group, with members from a large number of National authorities, Universities, power grid companies, and various other stakeholders such as the Swedish Golf Federation. This group has become an invaluable forum for project cooperation and discussions about practical management issues, monitoring, and research. After 10 years we are now approaching a common understanding on how infrastructure habitats can play an important role in nature conservation. At present, this has led to adaptive management of a large number of high value grasslands, for example in power line corridors, along roadside verges, and on golf courses. In addition, three landscape‐scale projects have been initiated with the long‐term aim to establish a green infrastructure.

Modification of atmospheric DC fields by space charge from high-voltage power lines

The application of robots in high voltage power line maintenance operations has gradually advanced over the last few decades, with emphasis on the segment of mobile robots and drones. However, even with the advances achieved, many problems related to the development of these robots still persist. Among the desirable characteristics for these robots are: reliability; operating autonomy; low weight; high capacity for overcoming obstacles and shielding against electromagnetic interference, many of which until then were little contemplated in existing robots. That said, it was proposed in this thesis the development of drone-robots for maintenance of high voltage power lines. These drone-robots consist of sets formed by a drone that works coupled to different robotic modules, each one of these developed to perform a specific maintenance task. This thesis describes the design, development, construction, and experimental testing of three drone-robots: one for cleaning insulator chains, one for removing debris from the lines, and another for installing stockbridge vibration dampers. This thesis also includes the implementation of attitude control for a drone suitable for transporting the mentioned modules and a procedure for the drone-robots shielding against electromagnetic interference and electrostatic discharges from transmission lines of up to 138 kV. The use of drone-robots in field tests conducted at a power company's facilities demonstrated the efficiency of these robots in overcoming a significant portion of existing limitations, making the developed robots stand out as promising solutions in the high-voltage power line maintenance robot segment.

In this paper, we present development of a scheme enabling a commercially available hydraulic robot to work with a haptic device performing live-line maintenance tasks. Presently live line maintenance is done manually by operators working in locations high above the ground and near high voltage power lines. Ground-level teleoperation of a hydraulic manipulator using a haptic device can potentially increase safety and productivity. The proposed hapto-robotic system is built upon the concept of virtual fixtures. Impedance-type forbidden region virtual fixture is used to help the robot to perform tasks. The control system configures virtual fixtures in the workspace based on the required task. The effectiveness of the system is shown by emulating several live power line maintenance tasks in the laboratory. It is shown that many tasks can be done even by an unskilled operator using the proposed haptically-enabled teleoperation system, which uses intelligence of the human operator along with the accuracy of the manipulator.