Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Modern Power Systems: Technologies, Use Cases, Outlooks, and Challenges

The electricity network is a very large-scale and widely distributed system that is highly interdependent with other large infrastructure systems (e.g., natural gas, telecommunication, water and wastewater, and transportation). Power grids are being stressed by severe loading conditions caused by the rising electrification of infrastructure (e.g., in creasing the use of electric vehicles) as well as the overall growth in world population and electricity usage. Any prolonged electricity interruptions can have a widespread effect on other systems, including disruptions in Internet and security equipment, traffic and street lights, pumping stations and public transportation, home appliances and tall building elevators, large industrial equipment and hospital devices, water supplies and natural gas delivery networks, and so on. © 2013 IEEE.