TEC, Exelon Clearsight Form Alliance

TEC and Exelon Clearsight have formed a partnership to bring advanced unmanned aircraft systems, robots and software-enabled inspections to Texas utilities. Under the agreement, TEC will have exclusive rights to represent Exelon Clearsight’s services to distribution cooperatives, generation and transmission co-ops, and municipal utilities in Texas.

This announcement comes less than a year after the Texas Legislature imposed requirements on electric utilities to inspect overhead lines to ensure compliance with the National Electrical Safety Code and document findings of nonconformance and the steps taken to mitigate 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,” said Colbey Ryan, Exelon Clearsight co-founder and general manager of utilities.

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