Clarity from above - Leveraging drone technologies to secure utilities´ systems

In May 2016, PwC’s Drone Powered Solutions team released our first global report, Clarity from above, on the universe of commercial applications of drone technology. The purpose of that report was to present emerging commercial applications of drone technologies, a global overview of regulatory frameworks and the estimated addressable market value of global drone powered business operations across key industries. In December 2016 we published the first of a series of sectoral reports, which discussed in detail the opportunities for drone technologies in transport infrastructure. Subsequently, in July 2017 we released a report on the telecoms industry, which focused on creating new revenue streams for telecoms operators through the implementation of new technologies.Today, we continue our series of Clarity from above reports with a publication regarding drones and new technologies in another sector with huge potential: power and utilities.The power and utilities sector is on the verge of a digital revolution and faces numerous new challenges. Due to increasing social pressure to shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, while simultaneously bringing energy prices down, the sector is trying to find new ways to maintain profitability. Existing business models are being disrupted by the growth and decarbonized generation and the popularity of electric vehicles. Both trends are shaping how energy is produced, distributed and consumed, and are forcing industry players to reinvent their business models. Technology development is enabling already well-proven innovations such as drones and digital technologies to be harnessed in order to increase the reliability of producing, transmitting and distributing energy. At the same time it is helping to bolster cost efficiency and to streamline maintenance and management processes.The only limitations lie firstly in choosing the most suitable technologies to meet companies’ current and future needs, and secondly in applying them in a way that achieves the most desired outcome.The purpose of this report, therefore, is to offer some insight into the existing technological capabilities of drone applications relevant to the power and utilities sector. We hope you’ll enjoy reading Clarity from above: Leveraging drone technologies to secure utilities systems.