Since the very first moment of Elewit as the technological platform of the Red Eléctrica Group our goal is to be an enabling agent for the Group's technology and innovation iniciatives so that they can serve their its two main missions: driving the energy transition and extending full connectivity. Keeping this goal in mind, we boost innovation projects by maximizing internal and external talent through alliances and partnerships.

An outstanding example is the DALIA project (Detecting Anomalies in Lines Inspection Autonomously). DALIA is the result of internal innovation at Red Eléctrica de España and is led by REE's Line Maintenance department together with Elewit as the main collaborator. This initiative seeks to optimize efficiency in aerial power line inspections. Specifically, the project seeks a higher level of automation in inspection and diagnosis through an image processing solution based on computer vision, artificial intelligence and the creation of digital models of the facilities using LIDAR technology. It is a solution that will also help to homogenise and standardize diagnosing anomalies of power lines, increasing the safety of technical specialists who will use drones in inspections which will avoid work at height.

In order to achieve these objectives, DALIA focuses on two main technological developments:

• Information gathering: Different RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aircraft), are currently being evaluated in order to optimize the aerial power line inspection methodology to adapt them to already proven gathering systems, such as LiDAR point collecting and digital photographs. This new methodology enables the capture of all the necessary data to have a new inspection procedure based on digital tools. Significant progress has already been made in this direction. Specifically, through an RPA developed within the framework of the project, 220 kV and 400 kV lines have been inspected, following a dedicated flight procedure in constant evaluation to improve both the quality of the data and the speed of the process.
• Comprehensive management of geospatial information: thanks to the knowledge and methodology of REE experts, tools and applications are being developed to digitize and automate inspection procedures through artificial intelligence models. In this area, AI models have already been developed to detect possible visual anomalies in aerial power lines from photographs taken by drones and/or helicopters. Once their effectiveness had been demonstrated, the necessary developments to improve the efficiency of this new procedure have been prioritized. In the case of LIDAR data processing, a pilot has been successfully carried out which, after its evaluation, is intended to be industrialized in the future, developing a SaaS application that includes additional vision and anomaly management functionalities in high-voltage line assets.

Thanks to all these technological developments and the redesign of the information management processes, DALIA is generating a digital twin of the lines and creating a unique type of visual inspection, in which the processing and diagnosis of anomalies will be carried out automatically and independently of the means of obtaining the information.

In the search for the best solutions to undertake the DALIA project, we have relied on top tier partners in the different technological fields. Specifically, in our 2020 Data Challenge winner Unusuals, thus becoming a key player in the project. Similarly, Aerolaser, a company from the Canary Islands that is an expert in LIDAR technology, has also joined DALIA as a technology provider.

We are still working on DALIA and we will have more news soon!