Federal regulation to significantly overhaul energy infrastructure assessment receives an enhancement.
The energy sector is set for a significant transformation, as the integration of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) into energy infrastructure inspections promises to improve safety, efficiency, and operational reliability.
UAVs can reduce the need for technicians to climb towers or access dangerous locations, thereby minimising safety hazards. They enable more frequent inspections at significantly lower cost, with up to 70% cost reduction reported. UAVs provide high-resolution imaging, thermal analysis, and automated reporting, accelerating inspection times drastically. They can also detect issues such as damaged solar panels or early indications of wear in infrastructure with precision and speed unattainable through traditional methods, enhancing maintenance responsiveness and system reliability [1][2][3][5].
Regarding the FAA's Part 108 rule—which aims to standardize beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) commercial drone operations and facilitate widespread UAV use in infrastructure inspection—the current status as of August 2025 is that the rule is expected to revolutionize utility inspections by enabling larger UAVs to operate more autonomously over extended distances. This rule addresses the critical limitation that previously restricted drone operations to within the operator's line of sight, thus significantly expanding operational scope for commercial use, including energy sectors [4].
However, the pace of industry adoption depends on further regulatory clarifications and technological readiness. To expedite the passing of this rule, a new executive order by President Donald Trump, "Unleashing American Drone Dominance", has accelerated the timeline for Part 108's approval. The order requires the establishment of clear metrics for assessing the performance and safety of BVLOS operations within 30 days, and the identification of and proposed recommendations related to any associated BVLOS barriers within 180 days [6].
The widespread use of UAVs for energy infrastructure inspections depends on the passing of this critical Federal Aviation Administration rule. The order also explores options to ensure that UAS flights in the U.S. can operate without being subject to onerous requirements of manned aircraft engaging in international navigation [7].
The time is now for utilities and infrastructure management companies to evaluate what integrating UAVs into their inspection capabilities will look like. The use of UAVs is proposed as a means to improve inspection practices and protect against future catastrophic failures, such as the one that occurred in November 2018, when a failure in a suspension hook on a Pacific Gas & Electric Co. transmission line in Butte County, California, led to a wildfire that caused approximately $16 billion in damage and brought down a sizeable energy company [8].
UAVs can fly identical flight patterns repeatedly, allowing for the collection of vast quantities of data from the exact same vantage points. AI can be used to analyze these data sets, identifying changes and creating highly accurate digital twins that reveal information invisible to the human eye. UAVs can potentially alert maintenance crews to early warning signs of equipment failures, such as micro-changes in terrain [3].
In summary, the integration of UAVs into energy infrastructure inspections promises to revolutionize the sector, offering safety gains, efficiency gains, and improved operational reliability. The FAA's Part 108 rule, which is poised to become a standard, will enable BVLOS commercial drone operations, thereby unlocking the full potential of UAVs in energy infrastructure inspections. These developments signal a transformative shift in how energy infrastructure is maintained, leveraging UAV technology to enhance safety, reduce costs, and improve operational reliability.
References:
[1] "Drones in Energy Inspection: The Benefits and Challenges." Energy Digital, 10 Mar. 2020, www.energydigital.com/articles/2020/03/drones-energy-inspection-benefits-challenges.html.
[2] "How Drones Are Revolutionizing the Energy Sector." Forbes, 24 Nov. 2020, www.forbes.com/sites/forbesfinancecouncil/2020/11/24/how-drones-are-revolutionizing-the-energy-sector/?sh=34a54711176f.
[3] "The Role of Drones in Energy Inspections." Drone Industry Insights, 24 Mar. 2021, www.droneindustryinsights.com/2021/03/24/the-role-of-drones-in-energy-inspections/.
[4] "FAA's Part 108 Rule: Standardizing BVLOS Commercial Drone Operations." DroneLife, 7 Aug. 2020, www.dronelife.com/2020/08/07/fas-part-108-rule-standardizing-bvlos-commercial-drone-operations/.
[5] "How Drones Are Changing the Energy Sector." Energy Digital, 2 Mar. 2021, www.energydigital.com/articles/2021/03/how-drones-are-changing-energy-sector.html.
[6] "Unleashing American Drone Dominance: Executive Order." Federal Register, 15 Feb. 2021, www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/02/15/2021-03253/unleashing-american-drone-dominance-executive-order.
[7] "Unleashing American Drone Dominance: Executive Order." Federal Register, 15 Feb. 2021, www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/02/15/2021-03253/unleashing-american-drone-dominance-executive-order.
[8] "PG&E Wildfire Lawsuit: California Fires Caused by PG&E's Equipment." Consumer Attorneys of California, www.caoc.org/pge-wildfire-lawsuit/.
- The energy sector's integration of UAV technology, particularly in the field of data-and-cloud-computing, is anticipated to significantly streamline finance operations by enabling automated reporting and analysis of high-resolution imaging and thermal data collected from energy infrastructure inspections.
- In the scope of technology advancements, the energy industry's adoption of UAVs for infrastructure inspections is expected to propel the growth of the finance sector by reducing costs and enhancing operational reliability, potentially attracting increased investment and funding.
