UAV-Assisted Monitoring Technologies for Energy Internet

The rapid development of energy Internet calls for pervasive and real-time monitoring of distributed generation, transmission lines, substations, and renewable energy farms. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) offer flexible, low-cost, and on-demand observation capabilities that complement fixed ground sensors. However, the practical adoption of UAV-assisted monitoring still faces significant scientific and engineering hurdles. These include the design of robust communication links under dynamic channel conditions, the development of scalable data processing and fusion algorithms for heterogeneous sensor payloads, and the coordination of multiple UAVs to achieve optimal coverage and energy efficiency. Moreover, ensuring the security and resilience of the entire aerial-ground system against cyber-physical threats is a critical concern. This special session solicits original contributions that address these challenges from a system-level perspective. We welcome theoretical studies, novel architectures, and experimental validations that advance the state of the art in UAV-based monitoring for energy Internet. The goal is to foster cross-disciplinary discussions and to promote practical deployment strategies that enhance the intelligence, reliability, and sustainability of future energy networks. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

1. UAV-empowered sensing architectures and communication protocols for energy infrastructure monitoring

2. Data acquisition, fusion, and intelligent analytics from aerial platforms for situational awareness in energy systems

3. Cooperative control, autonomous navigation, and task scheduling of multi-UAV systems for large-area surveillance

4. UAV-based monitoring networks under adverse operational conditions

5. Integration of UAV-assisted monitoring with energy management platforms, digital twins, and decision support systems

Chairs:

Dawei Wang, Northwestern Polytechnical University, China

Dawei Wang received the B.S. degree from University of Jinan, China, in 2011 and the Ph.D. degree from Xi'an Jiaotong University, China in 2018. From 2016 to 2017, he was a Visiting Student with the School of Engineering, The University of British Columbia. He is currently an Associate Professor with the School of Electronics and Information, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China. He has served as Technical Program Committee (TPC) member for many International conferences, such as IEEE GLOBECOM, IEEE ICC, etc. His research interests include Physical-Layer Security, Cognitive Radio Networks, NOMA Communications, UAV Communications, and Resource Allocation.

Yixin He, Jiaxing University, China

Yixin He received his B.S., M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in communication and information engineering from the School of Electronics and Information, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xian, China, in 2016, 2019, and 2023, respectively. From 2021 to 2022, he was a visiting Ph.D. student with the Department of Computer Science, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada. He has been an Editor for Wireless Networks, Scientific Reports, and Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing. Moreover, he has served as a Guest Editor for Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (JMSE) and Information. Dr. He received the DMCIS Best Paper Award in 2025. His research interests include VANETs, resource allocation, and UAV communications.

Weichao Yang, Northwestern Polytechnical University, China

Weichao Yang received the Ph.D. degree in signal and information processing from Harbin Engineering University, Harbin, China, in 2012. He is currently an Associate Professor with Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China. His research interests include data transmission subsystem and spaceborne remote sensing.