AES Partners with Measure to Improve Worker Safety with Drones

Major power producer AES Corp. is ramping up the use of drones with an eye toward shielding workers from industry hazards. Rather than buy all their own unmanned aerial systems, they've engaged D.C.-based drone services provider Measure to get access to a more extensive fleet. Measure recently raised $15 million in venture funding.

According to its Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Chris Shelton, AES has flown drone missions in 10 countries. It also has a reasonable inventory of drones that it uses at power plants and projects. Working with Measure will allow AES to get newer and more drones on short notice, along with pilots to help run them, wherever they are needed.

Shelton said, "We find that using drones, we can reduce the number of hazardous hours that it takes to do certain types of maintenance. And we can also enhance the efficiency of the business." According to the U.S. Department of Labor, workers in the electric power generation business face a range of hazards, from electrocution to falls, fires and explosions.

Using drones, AES employees can remotely inspect a tower or transmission line, for example, and gather high-resolution data about what's going on there, without having to scramble up scaffolding. AES also uses drones for inspection of solar panels, alleviating workers of a need to walk vast fields taking precise measurements.

AES | www.aes.com

Measure | www.measure.aero