The FERC -Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is requiring that electric transmission line operators properly rate their power lines by taking into account the as-found conditions. This can result in a lowering of the power rating, but as the authors point out in this excellent article through the use of LiDAR-derived data in most cases the utility can avoid this.
The methodology is termed Dynamic Line Rating or DLR. It allows the utility to tap into the unused potential of the conductor.
