Background
Arkansas Valley Electric Cooperative corporation (AVECC) is a not-for-profit corporation headquartered in Ozark, AR. The Cooperative purchases its power wholesale from Arkansas Electric Cooperatives corporation. Currently AVECC has more than 6,600 miles of distribution lines, 36 electrical substations, and more than 59,000 electric services. As a co-op, cost and efficiency are paramount. The annual inspections of its substations was a time-consuming and costly reality.
Challenge
AVECC has 36 substations they need to inspect annually with limited personnel. AVECC's traditional method of inspecting a substation involved a team of six to seven people, spending one day flying to gather photos, and then another few days analyzing the photos back in an office.
Skydio Solution
AVECC integrated Skydio drones and 3D scan technology to document all substations within their system.
“ “I can go out there…I can put the drone down… I’ll send it up into the air, and say “okay, here is this object, here’s this object, and here’s this object."
...and then it [the drone] goes and scans every single one of those on its own, and I don't have to touch the controller after I say go. I just have to maybe change a battery or two throughout the process.
It’s a process that’s so easy, almost anyone can do it in a substation immediately.
Results
Now AVECC can scan each substation with two to three person teams in half the time previously required.
