Helicrane – a Boon to the Transmission Industry


Unlike a traditional coal-powered power plant, it takes 12 to 18 months to complete a wind or solar power plant. However, the construction speed of transmission lines still hasn’t improved. At present, it takes nearly 3-4 years to complete its construction. This is a matter of great concern. No matter how many renewable energy (RE) plants we build, the industry will be unable to energize these clean energy plants due to lack of proper evacuation infrastructure. With the world inclining towards clean energy, overcoming the time constraint in transmission sector is vital.
Leveraging aerial technology for handling some of the cumbersome tasks associated with construction of transmission projects is a way forward. Today we will focus on one such technological breakthrough – the helicrane; and how it can prove to be a boon for the transmission industry.

helicranes
helicrane


A sustainable infrastructure development with helicranes

Used for the first time as aerial cranes back in the 1950s, Bell 47 helicopters were the first helicranes to be used for this purpose. This technology proved to be a savior during the Vietnam wars, post which its usage for industrial purpose increased. Used consistently in the logging industry for lifting large trees, its usage can prove to be a helping hand in transmission industry.

·    Construction of transmission towers in treacherous terrains can be a challenge. Due to remote regions and inaccessible roads, transporting tons of building materials (towers included) from one point to another gets extremely difficult. Using this technology for logistics purpose can not only make the task easier, but also save time.

·    Many a times the path to the transmission line site passes through areas rich in bio-diversity. Using road transportation mediums to transfer the cargo have high chances of damaging the soil construction of the region. With aerial cranes, we avert any harm to the soil construction as tons of construction materials are transferred via air route; hence, preserving the bio-diversity of the region.

·    In regions with unpredictable weather conditions (especially deserts or mountains), the working window shrinks to mere few months. This leads to the extension of the overall timeline of the transmission project. Using this aerial technology speeds up the pace of the construction timeline.

Clearly use of helicranes in the construction of transmission, infrastructure benefits the industry with reduced timelines and easy solutions to complex construction challenges. With this technology, the sector can work towards building evacuation infrastructure for RE sources in sync with RE power plants.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

POWER TRANSMISSION: THE KEY TO INDIA’S SOLAR MISSION

Medium Voltage Link Can Be A good time For Anybody

Upgrading Power Transmission Lines To Higher Voltage With Existing Infrastructure