The drones are equipped with special sensors and can monitor all major electrical lines and send back images and data for electricians like Qian to keep track of the power system's operations.

"Not only have the costs reduced, but, compared to traditional techniques, we can have a better understanding of the healthy operational state of the equipment," says Hu Aoyang, a technician from the innovation office.

With a gentle and warm smile, Qian's modesty is evident, but this belies his rich firsthand experience, expertise and contributions to groundbreaking innovations.

For the past two decades, Qian, in his 40s, has committed himself to upgrading the infrastructure of the local power system, where he has played a major role in delivering more than 150 patents and three innovative operational methods that have significantly improved safety and work efficiency of electricians.

In 2019, Qian was named a Zhejiang provincial model worker for his contributions.

"Qian has proved to us his serious and meticulous attitude to his work," says Sun Jinfan, a young technician in Tongxiang.

"He pays great attention to details and this attitude deeply influences me," Sun adds.

Qian took the lead in upgrading live-line operations from 10 kilovolts to 20 kV in 2010 when there was no prior experience for him to refer to.

"Among the challenges, the electric field is stronger, and the required safe distance is greater," he says.

Over three months of experimentation, Qian formulated operational instructions, which were proved successful by the industry.

It encouraged him to innovate further.

He led his team to successfully develop a 20 kV electric insulation layer peeling knife, vital for creating connections, which significantly raised efficiency for the new system at that time.

"The layer almost doubles in diameter, rendering the old tools unwieldy," he explains.

Moreover, an automated monitor has been used to replace manual measurements of load current throughout bypass operations, which used to take 30 minutes each time.

"Many manufacturers have utilized these solutions," Qian says.

Qian was assigned to work as a lineman at the Tongxiang power supply station in 1997, right after he graduated from the Zhejiang Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering.

It came as a surprise as he mainly studied substation operations.

"What I learned at school was mainly about supervising the lines and dealing with malfunctions," he says.