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.
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"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.
