EDP Distribuição is interested in analyzing competitive solutions that help reducing the impact of ice and snow in its overhead power lines. In this context, EDP Distribuição has been working with Instituto Superior Técnico (IST) in the development of an innovative icephobic coating that may be applied on conductors of already existing High Voltage (HV) or Medium Voltage (MV) overhead power lines, in order to prevent ice and snow accretion. Building on EDP Distribuição's requirements, IST developed 7 different solutions based on nanocomposite materials. These possible solutions were applied in small ACSR 50 conductor samples (with one additional bare sample for reference) that were placed at an high altitude location in Serra da Estrela, subjected to natural snow and icy conditions. The team has been registering accretion on bare and coated sample conductors in order to assess the effectiveness of the solutions and aging impact on their performance. This information, together with commercial price estimations (supplied by IST) will be used to identify the solution that best fits the needs of EDP Distribuição. The next step will be to test the most suitable solution with a pilot experience on a critical overhead power line. The performance of the coating will be assessed through the use of load cells that will be permanently measuring mechanical tension of both coated and uncoated conductors. This paper gives an overview of the problem, of existent market solutions and of the coatings developed by EDP Distribuição and IST, as well as of the pilot experience and of results obtained so far.

In order to manage the technical condition of its physical assets and according to its established asset management policy, EDP Distribuição frequently inspects its High Voltage (HV) and Medium Voltage (MV) overhead power lines. Such inspections are carried out by a specialized service provider, using a manned helicopter or personnel on the ground. Helicopter inspections require a crew of at least an experienced pilot and two technicians are expensive and have security concerns (risk of mechanical failure or collision).Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) bring potential benefits, since they partially mix the advantages of having a fast, potentially economic and autonomous scanning of a predefined set of waypoints with the flexibility of having closer looks at specific points on the grid and with a significantly lower operational risk. Ranging (LiDAR), are giving growing amounts of information which have to be properly managed using adequate algorithms. In this context, EDP Distribuição promoted the development of an algorithm to support the decision making process, regarding interventions on detected anomalies and subsequent works based on several relevant criteria, and is performing field tests with some commercial UAV solutions. Furthermore, current inspections methods, like thermographic analysis and Light Detection And

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