Inspect What Matters Most
Energy infrastructure spans thousands of kilometers. Traditional inspection is slow, dangerous, and misses problems. IoT fleets change everything.
Fleet Types in Energy
| Fleet Type | Devices | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Aerial | Inspection drones, survey drones | Line inspection, thermal analysis, solar farm surveys |
| Ground Vehicles | Service trucks, inspection vehicles | Crew dispatch, equipment transport, field maintenance |
| Fixed IoT | Smart meters, substation monitors, pipeline sensors | Real-time grid monitoring, fault detection, usage analytics |
All device types share the same architecture: edge AI, NATS JetStream messaging, and unified fleet management.
The Challenge
Energy and utility companies face unique inspection challenges:
- Scale — Thousands of kilometers of transmission lines, pipelines, and distribution networks
- Access — Remote locations, difficult terrain, hazardous environments
- Risk — Worker safety around high voltage, heights, and confined spaces
- Frequency — Regulations demand regular inspection of aging infrastructure
- Precision — Small defects today become catastrophic failures tomorrow
Manual inspection teams can’t cover enough ground. Helicopter surveys are expensive and provide limited data. Satellites lack the resolution for defect detection.
How IoT Fleets Solve This
Aerial: Systematic Coverage
Drones covering more ground with consistent quality:
- Automated flight paths — Follow transmission lines, pipeline routes, and perimeters
- Consistent inspection — Same angles, same resolution, every time
- Parallel operation — Multiple drones covering different segments simultaneously
- All-weather capable — Operate in conditions that ground crews can’t
Ground: Service Fleet Intelligence
Trucks and crews with real-time coordination:
- Dispatch optimization — Route technicians based on skill, location, and priority
- Telematics — Vehicle status, fuel, safety compliance
- Work order integration — Digital work orders, completion tracking
- Parts inventory — What’s on each truck, what’s needed where
Fixed IoT: Grid Awareness
Sensors throughout the network:
- Smart meters — Usage patterns, outage detection, load forecasting
- Substation monitors — Transformer health, fault detection, SCADA integration
- Pipeline sensors — Pressure, flow, leak detection
- Weather stations — Local conditions affecting operations
Detailed Analysis
All fleet types see what humans miss:
- Thermal imaging — Detect hot spots indicating electrical faults
- High-resolution visual — Identify corrosion, damage, vegetation encroachment
- LiDAR mapping — Measure clearances and ground movement
- Multispectral — Assess vegetation health near infrastructure
Onboard AI (Edge Processing)
Real-time inference on NVIDIA Jetson for immediate detection:
| Capability | Energy Application |
|---|---|
| Thermal Anomaly Detection | Identify overheating connections, transformers, insulators |
| Component Recognition | Classify poles, towers, insulators, conductors automatically |
| Defect Detection | Spot corrosion, cracks, bird nests, damaged components |
| Vegetation Analysis | Measure encroachment, identify high-risk trees |
| Safety Hazard ID | Detect unauthorized access, equipment damage |
Why Edge Matters:
- Immediate alerts for critical defects
- Reduce data transmission over remote networks
- Process thermal data in real-time
- Continue inspection even with poor connectivity
Cloud AI (Fleet Analytics)
Via NATS JetStream, optimize maintenance across the entire network:
| Capability | Energy Application |
|---|---|
| Predictive Maintenance | Forecast component failure based on thermal trends |
| Asset Health Scoring | Rank infrastructure by condition and risk |
| Change Detection | Compare inspections over time, identify degradation |
| Compliance Reporting | Generate regulatory documentation automatically |
| Outage Correlation | Link inspection findings to service interruptions |
Why Cloud Matters:
- Aggregate findings across entire infrastructure
- Train models on historical defect data
- Integrate with GIS and asset management systems
- Support regulatory audit requirements
Hardware Configuration
For energy and utility deployments, we recommend:
| Component | Selection | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Airframe | Industrial multirotor or fixed-wing | Stability for close inspection, endurance for long routes |
| Flight Controller | Pixhawk 6X | Reliable autonomy in EMI environments |
| Sensor Companion | Raspberry Pi CM4 | Multi-sensor coordination |
| AI Companion | Jetson Orin Nano | Thermal and visual AI processing |
| Thermal Camera | Radiometric thermal | Temperature measurement, not just imaging |
| Visual Camera | 42MP+ with zoom | Detail for defect identification |
| Connectivity | 4G/LTE + satellite backup | Coverage in remote areas |
Full hardware specifications →
Use Cases
Transmission Line Inspection
High-voltage lines spanning remote terrain. Identify insulator damage, conductor wear, tower corrosion.
Substation Monitoring
Thermal analysis of transformers, switchgear, and connections. Detect problems before failures.
Solar Farm Analysis
Panel-by-panel thermal inspection. Identify hotspots, soiling, and degradation across thousands of panels.
Wind Turbine Inspection
Blade inspection without rope access teams. Detect cracks, erosion, lightning damage.
Pipeline Patrol
Right-of-way monitoring, leak detection, third-party encroachment. Cover hundreds of kilometers daily.
Distribution Network
Pole inspection, vegetation management, service drop assessment in urban and suburban areas.
Regulatory Compliance
Energy infrastructure inspection requires compliance with:
- NERC Standards — Transmission system reliability requirements
- FAA Part 107 — Drone operations, waivers for BVLOS
- Pipeline Safety — PHMSA inspection requirements
- Environmental — Protected area restrictions, wildlife considerations
Our architecture supports compliance with:
- Complete flight logging with timestamps and GPS
- Automatic no-fly zone avoidance
- Audit trails for every inspection
- Exportable reports for regulatory submission
Technical Deep Dive
This application is built on our production-grade fleet architecture:
| Component | Role in Energy |
|---|---|
| NATS Topology | Coordinates inspection across remote regions |
| Vehicle Gateway | Thermal and visual AI processing |
| JetStream Streams | Asset history, defect tracking |
| Safety Model | Fail-safe operation near high voltage |
Get Started
Every hour of inspection flight replaces days of manual work. Let’s discuss your infrastructure inspection needs.