What a US Utility Drone Program Showed the Canadian Market

Adam Chartrand came out of last week's conversation with Zachary Roach feeling a little behind. He had expected to talk about a Canadian utility market where inspection is still mostly boots on the ground. Instead, he learned that Zach's team at Xcel Energy had started down this road around 10 years ago. In this recap episode of Tap Into Data, Adam and Jared Westrem go through what stayed with them, what it means north of the border, and where the data work goes next.

The command center changes who can do the work

Adam keeps coming back to the remote operations model Zach described: drones flying from docks, run by people in a centralized remote command center. In Canadian utilities, the closest thing is the storm center that gets set up for big events.

What caught Adam's attention was who that model makes room for. A lineman on modified work, say someone with a sore back who can't lift but can still drive, could stay productive. They pull up to a site or work from the center while the drone does the inspection. Because so much Canadian infrastructure is remote, that matters a lot.

The obstacle isn't really the technology. Adam points out that the industry is still digesting the Transport Canada regulation changes from November, and plenty of people are still skeptical that they can deploy these systems without getting in trouble. He also says he was surprised by how many inspections Zach's team had flown in the last quarter alone.

Real examples sell better than pitches

The episode ran just over an hour, and both hosts heard from people who watched it all. Jared has since talked with other utilities and operators who want to understand docks and what Zach's team is doing. Zach said his peers in the US reached out to him too.

For Adam, that changes how he talks to people. When someone is undecided about buying a dock or starting remote deployment, he no longer has to make a sales pitch. He can send them to episode seven. A utility explaining how it actually runs its program is more convincing than any vendor deck. Jared notes that the uses already reach well past one niche, from wind and solar to utilities, along with LiDAR and road inspection work.

Paper processes still run a lot of utilities

Jared previews a topic he wants to cover properly later: data capture using ground-based mobile LiDAR, aircraft, correction services, and different integrations. The tools exist to move utility work from paper into digital systems. Even so, he says there is still a lot of that work left to do across the industry.

Adam has a specific goal on his side. He wants to take the docks his team runs in Canada and use AI to move field data into a deliverable, through Smartsheet, and on to the client. He estimates this would get results to the client four or five hours faster than they do today. It's a measurable target, and it's the kind of pilot result that makes the case for scaling up.

AI is for the tedious work, not the interesting work

Both hosts talk about how AI fits into their own days. Jared calls himself "kind of a space case," with a lot of knowledge in his head and a habit of being scattered. AI tools keep him on task. In his words, "there should be no reason you're spending hours combing information or doing queries." The point is to spend his time on the problem-solving he enjoys and hand off the routine items that pile up every day.

Adam recently spoke with someone in Lisbon who thought he was already using AI the right way. After Adam walked him through what was possible, he asked for a follow-up session. He came away thinking he could get something like a 25x multiplier on his output. Adam and Gurmeet Mangat, who has appeared twice on the show, are now running AI training workshops.

There's a side effect the hosts joke about but also take seriously. Jared can never find his steel-toe boots before a site visit anymore, and Adam has swapped his for loafers. As more work moves into command centers, putting on field gear becomes the exception. That's good for safety, but it means people lose some of their feel for the field.

The Canadian market is about to get busy

Adam is going to Clean Power. Jared isn't, and he jokes it's because Adam signed them both up for a 6:30 a.m. 5K. Adam expects Canadian renewables to grow quickly. There have been recent awards in BC and Ontario, with more coming in Quebec. Several OEMs are returning to the market for the first time in over a decade, which is about how long it's been since Canada last built wind at significant scale.

A lot has changed in those 10 years, especially in inspection and data. Adam wants to find out what those returning OEMs need, and how docks and data services could support EPC work and open new revenue lines for partners. He's also had another conversation about drones: an engineering firm in Vancouver that supports forestry groups is relocating access roads as wildfires take over the old routes. Adam suggested using drones there too.

What makes a good guest

Looking back at the guests so far, the hosts say each one brought something different. Their bar for future guests is simple: "It just needs to be something around data." Zach's path from the military, where he dealt with remote roads and landing aircraft in the middle of nowhere, to running a utility remote sensing program shows how far data-collection skills can carry him. Zach already wants to come back, and more guests are lined up.

Press play above to hear the full conversation, and go back to episode seven if you missed Zach.

Key takeaways

• Zachary Roach's team at Xcel Energy started on remote drone operations around 10 years ago, while much of Canadian utility inspection is still done on foot.
• Centralized command centers can keep workers on modified duty productive, which matters for remote Canadian infrastructure.
• Regulation changes from Transport Canada, not the technology, are what's holding many Canadian deployments back right now.
• Adam's goal is to use AI and Smartsheet to get drone data from the field to the client four or five hours faster.
• With new awards in BC, Ontario, and Quebec, and OEMs returning after a decade, Canadian renewables are about to grow, and inspection data looks very different than it did last time.