Texas Electric Cooperatives Inc. (TEC) and Exelon Clearsight LLC have partnered to bring advanced UAS, robot, and software enabled inspections to utilities in Texas.

Under the agreement, TEC has exclusive rights to sell Exelon Clearsight's services to Electric Cooperatives, Generation & Transmission Cooperatives, and Municipal Authorities across the state of Texas.

“We are excited about partnering with Clearsight to provide unique value-added services to our members,” says Johnny Andrews, chief operating officer, TEC Manufacturing and Distribution Services. 

“Drones, robots, and software enabled inspections are powerful new tools for inspecting transmission assets. Making these technologies available to member cooperatives is a priority for TEC and we felt Clearsight was the obvious partner.”

To ensure compliance with the National Electric Safety Code (NESC), the Texas Legislature imposed new requirements less than a year ago on electric utilities to inspect overhead lines. These requirements also require documenting findings of non-conformance and the steps taken to address line clearance issues and public safety concerns.

“Exelon Clearsight uses remotely-piloted drones that can get very close to lines and towers to capture acute details and spot potential reliability or safety issues before they occur, resulting in faster response times, enhanced reliability, and greater customer satisfaction,” says Colbey Ryan, co-founder and general manager of Utilities, Exelon Clearsight.