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After 18 months of rigorous validation and testing and countless hours running simulations and obtaining approvals, NUAIR and New York Power Authority (NYPA) are proud to deploy UAS remote operations technology to assist with vegetation management, tower inspections, and site security at the upstate hydroelectric power plant in Gilboa, NY.
SYRACUSE, NY – 17 September 2024 – In 2022, NUAIR unpackaged a newly released UAS dock from Skydio that would enable regular remote operations without manual interference. The dock was acquired on behalf of the New York Power Authority (NYPA) to test and validate the operations and functionality of the hardware and uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) inside, and to investigate the impact of 24/7 weather exposure in Central New York to the dock and its components. Questions to answer during this testing included:
“Will the dock and aircraft inside be able to operate at the same level of proficiency and safety on day 100 as it did on day 1?”
“How many hours per day/per week could this save in inspection and reaction times?”
“How will heat, ice, fog, etc. impact the daily operations of the aircraft?”
“Can it be trusted to run the anticipated mission day after day operated remotely beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS)?”
The outcome of these questions is evidenced by the installation of said dock and UAS at the Blenheim-Gilboa project site in July 2024. A foggy day with zero visibility met the NUAIR, Skydio, and NYPA teams in Gilboa on the day of the installation – a day that was not a problem for a UAS with a robust navigational system to operate beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) and in variable conditions.
The Blenheim-Gilboa Power Project is located about 60 miles from Albany and uses hydroelectric technology to generate up to 1,160,000 kilowatts of electricity to feed power to the grid at times of peak demand. The addition of remotely operated BVLOS drone operations at this power site adds another notch in the NYPA Robotics team’s belt. With this additional tool in NYPA’s belt, safety to both the power site and its personnel has increased. Efficiency with inspection time increased through safer, faster, and more detailed inspections completed remotely with the local UAS. Critical hours spent assessing and prioritizing repairs and management now expedited through routine detailed analysis.
“We’re thrilled to see the hard work and dedication of both the NUAIR and NYPA teams come to fruition,” said Nate Bazydlo, Director of Strategic Accounts at NUAIR. “NYPA continues to prove its leadership in innovation through this latest deployment of remote UAS and NUAIR is grateful to collaborate to enable these operations.”
“From here, we measure impact,” shared Ken Stewart, President and CEO of NUAIR. “Working with NYPA to prove out the safety and efficiency, was the first step. Now we get to truly start to witness how much this can improve operations.”
NYPA is no stranger to drone programs with an in-house team of UAS pilots deploying, researching, and testing new applications every day. “The goal of our team as well as any UAS operation, is to innovate the safety and efficiency of operations while maintaining high standards of aviation professionalism and safety,” shared NYPA Robotics Program Manager Peter Kalaitzidis.
NYPA is the largest state public power organization in the nation, operating 17 generating facilities and more than 1,550 circuit-miles of transmission lines. More than 80 percent of the electricity NYPA produces is clean renewable hydropower.
About the New York Power Authority
The New York Power Authority is the nation’s largest state public power organization, with 16 generating facilities and more than 1,400 circuit-miles of transmission lines. More than 70 percent of the electricity we produce is clean renewable hydropower.
NYPA is a leader in promoting energy efficiency, new energy technologies and electric transportation initiatives.
Our lower-cost power production and electricity purchases support hundreds of thousands of jobs throughout the state. Our business customers range from Fortune 100 giants competing in international markets to small manufacturing or service firms that are vital to local economies.
We sell power to government agencies; to community-owned electric systems and rural electric cooperatives; to job-producing companies; to private utilities for resale—without profit—to their customers; and to neighboring states, under federal requirements.
For more information, visit www.nypa.gov.
About NUAIR®
NUAIR is a New York-based nonprofit driving economic development through innovations in UAS and Advanced Air Mobility to safely integrate into the national airspace. With guidance from inception to acceleration, we help you deliver advanced UAS commercial outcomes and build your aviation ecosystem on a proven network of systems from incubators to investors and customers to partners. Understand the harmonization needed to innovate airspace, advance aviation, and architect AAM in your community from theory to reality with our team of experts.
With a rich history of 10+ years performing UAS testing and validation, investing in local and state economic development, and training public safety elite, the Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research Alliance, Inc. (NUAIR) is proud to be the catalyst to not only New York’s airspace innovation, but aviation advancement around the globe.
NUAIR. Where Next Takes Flight.
Media Contact:
Megan Crout | Director of Marketing
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