On June 24, with the official launch of the distribution network drone system on the Kunshan drone-control platform, Suzhou's first comprehensive automated drone inspection demonstration zone for the local distribution network was established in Kunshan, according to the State Grid Suzhou Power Supply Company.

Traditional drone inspections rely on the experience of grid workers, and on manual drone path planning. A large distribution network line implies lower efficiency in fault location and emergency repair.

Since 2024, the State Grid Suzhou Power Supply Company has coordinated the construction of a drone inspection application system, making  Kunshan its pilot project. The realization of the project involved the deployment of 59 drone nests, the construction of a distribution network drone fault-linkage fast-patrol system, and creating an automated drone inspection demonstration area covering the whole area.

In May this year, the State Grid Suzhou Power Supply Company developed the required application system for the distribution network drone fault-linkage rapid patrol and established the related operational processes. The system integrates information such as fault type, weather conditions, and airport coverage capabilities, and uses drone patrol strategy analysis algorithms to automatically determine drone patrol intervals and patrol paths within the intervals. By replacing manual control with intelligent automation, the system significantly improves the efficiency of drone inspections compared to traditional methods."When a distribution network overhead line fails, the system actively analyzes the fault information, accurately locks the fault line interval within 3 minutes, and automatically generates a drone patrol task order," explained Yang Zonghao, a manager working within the State Grid Suzhou Power Supply Company. After the distribution monitoring personnel of the drone monitoring center receive the work order, they simply press a button to dispatch the patrol mission to the designated drone nest in the relevant area. The drone then flies to the site, conducts an autonomous inspection along the automatically generated route, and transmits high-definition aerial and infrared images of the line in real time. "When necessary, the monitoring personnel can remotely control the drone to conduct multi-angle inspections of suspicious points. Overall, patrol efficiency is 60% higher than manual inspections," Yang Zonghao said.