Improving Utility Asset Management with Advanced Drone- and Data-Driven Solutions

Marissa Bonanno

Marissa Bonanno

Innovation Lead, Constellation Clearsight

Marissa Bonanno is a highly accomplished energy professional with over 8 years of experience in the field. As an Innovation Lead for Constellation Clearsight, Marissa is responsible for driving innovation initiatives for utilities.

In this article:

  • Explore the unique challenges faced by electric cooperatives when it comes to asset management.
  • Learn how innovative drone- and data-driven technologies offer cost-effective solutions.
  • Discover how Clearsight’s drone-based solutions revolutionize asset management for electric cooperatives.

Electric cooperatives are integral to the energy landscape in the U.S., serving roughly 42 million people across 47 states. These cooperatives light up over half of the country’s landmass, reaching homes, businesses, farms, and schools.

With expansive territories to manage, electric co-ops encounter unique challenges in asset management.

Advancing Asset Management in Electric Co-ops

Precision in asset management is crucial for electric co-ops. It drives efficiency, improves worker safety, and bolsters profitability. Traditional ground crew inspections over extensive areas are not only inefficient, but sometimes infeasible. By employing Clearsight’s advanced drone-based solutions, co-ops can refine inspections and gain a clearer perspective of asset location and health.

Inspector Using Clearsight Data to Help with Asset Management for Utilities

Meeting the Distinct Challenges of Electric Co-Ops

Electric co-ops are often widespread and remote, catering predominantly to rural America. Financial challenges add to their complexities. Here, Clearsight’s agile, cost-efficient utility inspection solutions translate challenges into opportunities, optimizing member satisfaction, safety, and revenue.

Leveraging Drone-Based Solutions for Safety and Revenue Growth

With our technology, cooperatives can harness cutting-edge solutions to meet their unique needs. By employing Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), lineworkers can perform detailed top-down inspections, identifying issues such as loose or missing bolts, which might remain unseen from the ground. These upgraded inspections reduce risk and increase efficiency.

Implementing Clearsight’s Comprehensive Solution

Our approach begins with gathering precise geospatial data, followed by integrating advanced technology to leverage this data for insightful asset inspections. We blend drone data collection with seamless processing and reporting, creating an end-to-end data management solution that minimizes human error, accelerates efficiency, and cuts costs.

The Bottom Line

In conclusion, Clearsight’s drone- and data-driven solution offers an unparalleled view of asset conditions, bolstering member satisfaction with reduced costs and increased uptime. This innovative approach to asset management not only addresses the immediate challenges of vast and varied terrain and limited resources, but also sets a new standard for operational excellence in the utility sector. Ultimately, our solutions help pave the way for electric co-ops to not just survive, but thrive in an increasingly complex energy landscape.

Discover the Power of Clearsight Today