An Investment Decision Support Analysis Model for UAV Utilization in Transmission Line Inspection

-With the development of the digital economy, electric power enterprises are also joining the digitalization process amidst the trend of digital transformation. Inspection work, as one of the important tasks for transmission lines, is gradually transitioning from traditional manual inspection to primarily Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-based inspection as part of the digital transformation. In order to accelerate the digital transformation of transmission line inspections for electric power enterprises, this article proposes an investment decision model for UAV inspection of transmission lines. Firstly, considering the impact of UAV inspection and manual inspection on the probability of line faults, different models for calculating fault compensation costs for different line fault systems are constructed. This is done to calculate the fault compensation costs for both inspection modes. Secondly, taking into account the differences in efficiency and process between UAV and manual inspections, the cost differentials for both inspection modes are computed. Finally, based on an analysis of investment cases using a classical nine-node system, it is concluded that investing in UAVs for transmission line inspection is not always worthwhile. For example, in plain areas where manual inspection efficiency is relatively high, investment may not be justified for now. However, after introducing UAV technology for line inspection, if it significantly improves the efficiency of line inspection, UAV inspection becomes a worthwhile investment.