State Grid Shaoxing Power Supply Company first uses large payload drones to deliver materials for 10-kilovolt iron tower
Iron towers are usually located on hillsides or halfway up mountains. The traditional method of transportation involved "human carrying and horse packing", which raised issues such as long distances on mountain trails, time-consuming, as well as worker and horse safety hazards. Sometimes, in order to open up new transport routes, inevitable compensation issues for forests and farmlands would arise.
The six 100-kilogram drones used in this transport team can transport one ton of materials every 15 minutes within a radius of 3 kilometers. In contrast, the traditional transport involving one horse and two people can only transport a maximum of 200 kg at a time and advance only 300 meters in an hour.
Calculating based on the materials needed for a 10 kv tower foundation, which includes 56.44 tons of cement, sand and stones, and 1.11 tons of steel bars, the drone transport team would only take 14 hours, while the human and horse packing would require at least a week. Additionally, the transport team is equipped with safety parachutes, which automatically open in case of emergencies.
"The successful practice of this transport has shown us that the speed of power grid construction is about to enter a new era. Compared to traditional transport methods, the use of heavy payload drones not only reduces manual labor and shortens the project time but also avoids safety hazards caused by complex terrains. In case of difficult repair environments, materials can be quickly delivered to the designated locations," said Zhang Chunlei, deputy general manager of the Xinchang Branch of Shaoxing Jianyuan Electric Power Group.
In the future, State Grid Shaoxing Power Supply Company said it will build on this pilot transport initiative, increase the application of heavy payload drone technology, and lead the way in deploying heavy payload drones in areas with complex terrain, in a bid to improve transport efficiency.
