1. Introduction
In recent years, with the continuous development of power equipment and the increase in electricity demand, the maintenance of power facilities has become increasingly important. In special environments, especially mountainous areas, power lines can fail due to interference from tree branches, kites, and other foreign objects, not only affecting power transmission but also posing safety hazards.
2. Laser Cannon Goes to Mountain Grids for Clearance
In May 2025, Yunnan Power Supply Bureau grid staff, accompanied by Spate laser clearance instrument technicians, deployed to clear tree obstructions from mountainous power lines using the latest high-power backpack-mounted laser clearance instrument for tree cutting.
In Yunnan's mountainous regions, power lines are often obstructed by branches, vines, and other vegetation, making traditional cleaning methods inefficient and hazardous, especially when manual climbing of towers is required.
Moreover, Yunnan's mountain roads are winding, with narrow terrain and rugged terrain, presenting a series of challenges for clearance operations. Conventional large-scale equipment cannot access the work site, so selecting the appropriate equipment for clearance became a critical issue.
The Yunnan Power Transmission Station purchased the Spate Laser Clearance Tool, a highly efficient tool specifically designed for removing suspended objects from power lines.
3. Challenges of Traditional Clearance Methods
In traditional power facility maintenance, staff must perform high-altitude work, directly or indirectly coming into contact with high-voltage electricity, posing significant safety risks. Especially in mountainous or remote areas, the work environment is more complex, and the costs of deploying personnel and equipment also increase accordingly.
Clearing debris from power lines often requires power outages or live-line operations. While power outages reduce operational risks, they cause power interruptions, leading to economic losses and affecting power reliability.
Compared to traditional cleaning methods, the laser obstacle removal device simplifies tree-cutting operations. Staff only need to remotely control the device via a visual tablet, adjust laser parameters for precise targeting, and complete the cleaning task in a short time, saving time and effort.
The laser cannon's operational efficiency has increased by 5-10 times, reducing the average time per task by 1-2 hours and saving the labour of 1-2 staff members. Additionally, the laser equipment's efficiency has generated nearly ten million yuan in economic benefits for the company.
Power line clearance has become safer, avoiding losses caused by power outages, reducing the time staff spend working in high-risk environments, and ensuring the safety and stable operation of power facilities.
4. Safety and Effectiveness of the Laser Cannon
The principle of the SPT Laser Clearance Instrument is to focus the laser beam onto the target surface, causing localised heating, evaporation, or combustion to achieve the desired clearance effect, using high-energy laser beams for precise removal of the target.
The ‘laser cannon’ is not the conventional weapon we are familiar with but a specialized tool designed for clearing suspended objects from high-voltage power lines. Driven by the demand from the power industry in 2012, SPT Laser Technology Co., Ltd. (SPT) collaborated with the Southern Power Grid to successfully develop China's first laser-based obstacle removal instrument for overhead power lines. By using a high-power laser cannon, this device can remotely, quickly, and safely remove branches, vines, and other suspended objects from power lines without the need for power outages or personnel climbing towers.
The introduction of the laser cannon has revolutionised clearance operations. As the original manufacturer, SPT's laser clearance device has undergone continuous research and development since its launch in 2012, successfully upgrading to the latest backpack-mounted laser clearance device. It can be operated by a single person, enabling efficient clearance operations across various complex terrains.
Especially when using the laser obstacle removal device to cut trees, it can perform precise removal work without requiring manual contact with power lines, significantly reducing safety hazards. Additionally, it ensures that when handling suspended objects (such as branches, plastic bags, etc.), it does not cause damage to high-voltage lines in the power grid.
5. Summary
The climate in Yunnan's mountainous regions is highly variable, with complex terrain and rapid tree growth, resulting in power lines being extensively covered by tree obstacles, which affects the normal operation of the power grid.
The successful clearance operations conducted by Spate's ‘Laser Cannon’ in Yunnan Power Supply Bureau have ensured that local authorities can efficiently and safely complete debris clearance work on high-voltage lines. This not only safeguards the normal operation of power facilities but also brings significant economic benefits to the company.
