Power line inspections tend to cost a lot of money and time. But with drones, you can significantly drop the price. Inspecting one transmission tower traditionally costs around $5,000 and can take up to a few days. Drones can do the same work for a fraction of the price in mere minutes. But that’s not all.
Drone inspections are also safer and more accurate than traditional inspection methods. They keep workers out of harm’s way by letting them analyze drone inspection data from a safe distance. The drone can 3D map power line corridors with advanced cameras and sensors that can easily detect anomalies, faults, and encroaching vegetation with a high level of accuracy.
For asset owners, drones are a popular solution for frequent high-quality inspections. But they also present new risks. Working with high voltage electrical wires is not an easy task. You need the right pilot and the right drone. Drones without the proper navigation and obstacle avoidance technology are more prone to collision. A single crash can total the drone and lead to costly damages to the power lines. And if you hire an inexperienced pilot, you risk getting bad or insufficient inspection data, which could be costly in the long run.
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“Drones are a great complement to the work we already do to keep our system fully functional. The benefits they deliver are incredibly valuable and I’m interested to see where they take us.”
- Mark K., Principal Engineer
That’s why in this article, we go over the best drones for power line inspections. We’ll give you our top choices overall along with some mid tier and budget friendly options. For each drone, we also breakdown its pros and cons and estimated cost, so you can easily compare them.
Best Overall Power Line Inspection Drones
Matrice 300 RTK
Pros: 55-minute battery life, RTK positioning
Cons: expensive, small controller screen
Estimated Cost: $13,200
The Matrice 300 RTK is a powerhouse drone great for any power line inspection. One of its unique features is advanced dual control. This means a second pilot can take command of the aircraft while it’s flying. This is especially useful for large inspection projects where you don’t want to place too much responsibility on one pilot and would rather have two pilots share the operation.
As the name suggests, the Matrice 300 RTK also comes with advanced real-time kinetic (RTK) positioning capability. RTK uses live GPS data to correct drone positioning mid-flight. This way, you can ensure your drone flies with locational precision. This is incredibly helpful when inspecting power lines because veering off course could lead to costly collisions. Plus, you can safely rely on RTK positioning for automated routine inspections and thereby reduce the risk of manual human errors in piloting. On top of that, the drone’s 6-directional sensors help it automatically avoid obstacles when navigating dangerous power lines.
The Matrice 300 RTK doesn’t come with a payload, but it’s compatible with DJI’s Zenmuse line and even third-party payloads. We recommend combining the Matrice 300 RTK with the Zenmuse Z30 for its 30x optical zoom or the Zenmuse H20T for its combination of laser rangefinder (LRF), visual zoom camera, and thermal camera.
Video Source: Globe Flight - dein DJI Drohnen Partner
Finally, the Matrice 300 RTK is pretty robust with an IP45 rating. This means it can fly in light rain and poor weather conditions. Plus, it can fly in -4° to 156° F (-20° to 68° C) temperatures. All while boasting a 9-mile transmission range and a 55-minute battery life. When the batteries do die, they’re hot swappable, meaning the drone stays on while you change the batteries, so you can quickly resume flight.
Overall, you can’t go wrong with the Matrice 300 RTK. It’s a highly capable and durable drone that has all the features you need for a safe and thorough power line inspection.
Matrice 210 RTK V2
Pros: encrypted data transmission, real-time info on nearby aircraft, RTK positioning, compatible with many payloads
Cons: discontinued model, no obstacle avoidance on sides and rear of aircraft
Estimated Cost: $10,000
What's included in the PDF...
The complete step-by-step beginners roadmap for infrastructure inspections
Crucial factors of success when implementing a drone program
The game-changing advantages of utilizing drones for inspections
The Matrice 210 RTK V2 is a slightly more affordable DJI drone option for power line inspections. What sets it apart is its robust set of anti-collision features. For one, it has RTK positioning and obstacle avoidance sensors for staying on course. But it also has an anti-collision beacon to make itself more visible to other aircraft and DJI AirSense, which provides real-time information on current airspace conditions. So the drone has several layers of protection to prevent crashes.
The Matrice 210 RTK V2 comes with a single upward or a dual downward gimbal. The latter allows you to attach two payloads. This is especially helpful if you want to attach a visual and a thermal camera. For example, connect the Zenmuse Z30, which offers a 30x zoom to see minute detail from up to 33 feet (10 m) away, and a thermal imager for a powerful combination that allows for comprehensive inspections.
One nice feature of the Matrice 210 RTK V2 is it’s encrypted data transmission. This way, you can be sure that your inspection data stays safe while the drone is in flight.
If you need a reliable drone that is highly collision-averse, the Matrice 210 RTK V2 is an excellent choice. Just note that it’s no longer in production, so it may be harder to buy new models and batteries over time. But you can still find used and refurbished models at good prices online.
Video Source: DJI
With an impressive 55-minute battery life, the Matrice 300 RTK also gives you more than enough time to complete a full bridge inspection in one go. Plus, it can fly up to 51MPH (82km/h) and withstand winds up to 33.5 MPH (54km/h), as well as operate in -4° to 122° F ( -20° to 50° C) temperatures.
The Matrice 300 RTK also has a health management system, which gives the current status of all systems, notification logs, and even preliminary troubleshooting. We recommend the Matrice 300 RTK for an all-around powerful and durable bridge inspection drone.
Mid Tier Drones for Power Line Inspections
Prism Sky
Pros: two propellor configurations, flies up to 60 MPH, Made in Amercia
Cons: expensive
Estimated Cost: $25,999
Prism Sky is a forthcoming UAV developed by American company Watts Innovations. This versatile drone supports a 4-propellor quadcopter variation and an 8-propellor coaxial x8 variation. So you can configure the drone to your needs and depending on the project.
The Prism Sky has RTK capability for precise navigation around electrical towers. It also has top and bottom rails, so you can mount up to two cameras, including a visual and a thermal camera for comprehensive inspections.
Video Source: Bobby Watts
The Prism Sky includes an HD first-person view (FPV) camera. It’s also dust and moisture proof and can reach an impressive 60 MPH (97 km/h). The batteries are sold separately, but have an impressive 12-40 minute battery life depending on the chosen propeller configuration and payload.
Autel Evo 2 Dual 640t RTK Enterprise
Pros: RTK and PPK positioning, 36-minute battery life, visible camera and thermal sensor
Cons: No upward facing camera, not compatible with other payloads
Estimated Cost: $9,500
The Evo 2 Dual 640T RTK this is a great compact drone with built-in visible and infrared cameras. The 8K visible camera has up to 4x lossless zoom and sports 6K video at a 120 Mbps max streaming speed. It transmits video at a 5.6 mile (9 km) maximum range and a 3.7 mile (6000 m) max service altitude. The infrared sensor offers high-resolution thermal imaging and temperature measurement within 6.5 to 16.4 feet (2 to 5 m) of the heat source with a 3° range of accuracy.
As the name suggests, the Evo 2 Dual 640T RTK also features RTK positioning. Not only that but it offers post processed kinematic (PPK) positioning for an additional layer of accuracy. Like RTK, PPK corrects location data with the help of GPS technology. But it does this after the footage has been collected and uploaded into mapping software.
With a 36-minute flight time and a top speed of 65 feet per second (20 m/s), the Evo 2 Dual 640T RTK is able to perform large power line inspections very efficiently. The drone can also operate in 14° to 104° F (-10° to 40° C) temperatures. And it has a 6-directional sensing system for omnidirectional 720° obstacle avoidance.
If you need a foldable and reliable drone to start inspecting power lines quickly, the Evo 2 Dual 640T RTK is an excellent choice.
Video Source: Terrestrial Imaging
Budget Friendly Drones for Power Line Inspections
Parrot Anafi Ai
Pros: cellular network connection, seamless WiFi to 4G connection switch, open source SDK, extended tilt range gimbal, compact
Cons: not compatible with other payloads, no RTK
Estimated Cost: $7,000
The Anafi Ai is an up and coming drone from French company Parrot. It’s extremely lightweight at just 1.98 lb (898 g) but still packs in some impressive features. What’s extremely innovative and exciting about this drone is that it uses the Verizon 4G LTE cellular network for communication. That means the drone can fly wherever there’s cellular service. What’s more, you can seamlessly switch between 4G and a WiFi connection for near limitless range. Of course, you’re still limited by the battery life of the drone. But even this is 32 minutes, so at a max speed of 34 MPH (55 km/h), you can cover some serious ground in a power line inspection.
The Anafi Ai has an extended gimbal tilt range of -90° to +90° so you can easily view power lines from the most desirable angle. It holds an HDR10 48 MP camera with 6x zoom as well as two stereoscopic cameras that help it avoid obstacles. The drone also transmits 4K 1080p video from a max service ceiling of 1640 feet (5,000 m) above sea level.
Finally, the Anafi Ai is designed for photogrammetry, so you can map power line corridors with ease. It also has MicroSD and SIM card slots for easy data transfer and connectivity. Plus, its drone software uses an open source software development kit (SDK), so you can develop custom drone navigation apps for your needs. And the handheld remote fits to your smartphone, so you can start flying in no time.
Mavic 2 Advanced
Pros: dual visual and thermal imaging, compact design, password protection
Cons: not compatible with other payloads, RTK positioning sold separately
Estimated Cost: $6,500
Video Source: DJI Enterprise
The Mavic 2 Advanced is an enterprise-grade drone designed for dual imaging. Though you can’t switch out payloads, it comes with a thermal sensor and a 4K zoom camera built in. On the one hand, the infrared sensor has 16x zoom, 640 x 512 resolution, and a 30 Hz frame rate. It can also measure temperatures within a 2° C range of accuracy. On the other hand, the 4K visual camera supports 48 MP resolution, 4x lossless zoom, and 32x digital zoom for capturing intimate details.
Importantly, the Mavic 2 Advanced comes with OcuSyn 2.0 transmission, which protects it against electromagnetic interference from power lines. It also has a transmission range of 6.2 miles (10 km) and lets you easily switch between visual, thermal, and split views on one screen for a quick inspection.
Like some of the other drones on our list, the Mavic 2 Advanced has omnidirectional obstacle sensing and DJI AirSense for real-time information on airspace conditions. It can also be equipped with RTK positioning for centimeter-level positioning, but this is sold separately.
The drone is both compact and robust. It can fold up for easy carrying and work in 14° to 104° F (-10° C to 40° C) temperatures. As a bonus, the Mavic 2 Advanced also offers password protection, so you can rest assured nobody can operate the drone without your permission.
In the end, the Mavic 2 Advanced is a good fit for anyone who wants to perform visual and thermal inspections in one go but doesn’t want to configure the drone with special payloads themselves.
Important Drone Qualities to Look For
Now that you have some options to choose from, here are the features you want to look out for when looking for drones for power line inspections:
- Strong Signal Strength—Power lines emit radio waves that interfere with the drone during inspections. So it’s important that the drone’s signal is strong. Also, magnetic interference can pose a big safety issue. That’s why many pilots use a spectrum analyzer to measure frequencies emitted by power lines to determine if it’s safe to fly.
- Long Battery Life—Power lines span long distances, so the longer the drone can stay in the air, the better.
- Obstacle Avoidance—Obstacle avoidance sensors are essential for keeping the drone at a safe distance from dangerous wires.
- Attitude (ATTI) Mode—Due to radio wave interference, drones may not be able to hold a stable GPS connection. Having an ATTI or manual mode to switch over to is important in case this happens.
- Compatibility with Zoom Cameras—To keep a safe distance from power lines, drones need zoom cameras. They help drones capture the detail you need without getting too close.
- Compatibility with Radiometric Thermal Cameras—Thermal cameras allow you to see anomalies in wiring that aren’t visible to regular cameras.
- Compatibility with LIDAR—LIDAR (light detection and ranging) allows you to create point cloud maps of power line corridors with laser technology that is incredibly accurate.
- High-precision RTK—Having an RTK system is extremely important for exact positioning. Unequipped drone models can’t handle the level of radio interference and often crash.
Next Steps: Getting Started with Aerial Power Line Inspections
Drone power line inspections are a huge market opportunity. They’re incredibly time and cost-efficient. But the job is also highly technical and requires the right training, licenses, experience, and insurance. Without them, you run into some serious risks.
Aerial power line inspections are not a beginner drone pilot job. One mistake could cause major power outages and a costly amount of revenue for asset owners. That’s why many companies outsource inspection flights to The Drone Life. Our drone experts are not only licensed and insured but have years of experience performing high-stakes utility inspections. Discuss your inspection needs with us today by scheduling a free consultation.
What's included in the PDF...
The complete step-by-step beginners roadmap for infrastructure inspections
Crucial factors of success when implementing a drone program
The game-changing advantages of utilizing drones for inspections
