For nearly a century, unmanned aerial vehicles – or drones – were primarily tools for the military, but in the last decade, the use of drones for civilian tasks has skyrocketed. Industries from real estate to agriculture and retail to entertainment are using the technology to work faster, safer and in new ways. The energy industry is no exception. Duke Energy started using drones in 2015 to inspect wind and solar sites, and the ways the company can use the technology grows each year with tasks becoming more complex. For example, in February 2018, Duke Energy drone operators engineered a way to help string power lines in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria.
