PG&E recently used a drone to help restore power to homes in the storm-battered Santa Cruz Mountains.
Utility crews couldn't reach certain areas in the mountains due to access issues, so they turned to technology.
"This past weekend PG&E crews utilized a drone to pull new power lines through an area that we couldn't access because there was a lot of heavy snow, a lot of trees came down and the soil was very saturated," PG&E spokesperson Mayra Tostado said. "We couldn't get our trucks in there."
Drone operators actually fly the new lines in the air to reconnect them.
"With drones not only is this work becoming safer for our crews, but it is also becoming more cost effective," Tostado said.
PG&E said it started using the drones last spring and paid about $250,000 to lease them. The utility said unlike costly helicopters, which can be grounded during a storm, drones often can still operate.
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