Consumers EnergyUnmanned Aerial Vehicle

August 7th, 2016

Provide service in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.

Provide electric and natural gas service to nearly 6.6 million of Michigan's 10 million residents.

1.8 million electric customers.

Provide service in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.

Consumers Energy

Quimby

Octocopter

Weight: 8.8lbs

Flight Time: 15-20 minutes

GPS enabled -autonomous flight

Advanced Features include: Return to Home

Cruise Control

Point of Interest

Overview of Small UAS Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

Part 107

Released 6/21/16, goes into effect on 8/28/16:

• Remote Operators must pass an aeronautical knowledge test

• 400 ft AGL or higher nearby tall structures (wind turbines)

• Able to fly on any of our service territory

• Any aircraft on FAA-approved list may be flown

“Flying Camera”

4k Digital Camera

Go-Pro

Thermal Camera

LiDAR System

We are looking for:

Equipment Damage

Broken

Crossarms/Arrestors

Measurements

Line Inspections

Wind Turbine Inspections

Safer! 10x Faster!

1/10th the cost!

$1.2 million

savings/ year

to Michigan

customers

Temperature

Monitoring

Overheated equipment

typically means future

failures

Saves time and

money while

increasing safety

Substation Inspection

Indoors - not Federal

Airspace

Avoid constructing

expensive scaffolding and

scaling large, dirty walls

inside boilers

We are looking for:

Damaged equipment

Cracks/leaks/rust

Debris build-up

Power Plant Inspection

Captures 700,000 points per

second

3d map of the real world

LiDAR – Light Detection And Ranging

Continue testing!!! (with newer platforms?)

Solar Panel Inspections?

Autonomous flight

Utilizing 3d camera

technology

Next Steps

Questions??