New energy: Empowering unmanned aerial vehicles in low-altitude economy

Traditional fossil fuels are being depleted. In today's society, electricity consumption shows characteristics such as rapid growth in the tertiary industry and residential life, an increasing share of green electricity, prominent peak-valley conflicts, and the popularization of interactive energy-consuming devices. As a rapidly growing industry driven by policies and technology with high expectations placed on it, the low-altitude economy cannot overlook the construction of its energy system. In an era where various equipment is moving towards electrification, grid integration, energy conservation, efficiency improvement, and continuous iteration, research on unmanned aerial vehicles with new power sources has also become a hot topic. This paper provides an overview of the working principles, inherent advantages, and limitations of battery-powered unmanned aerial vehicles, hydrogen fuel cell-powered unmanned aerial vehicles, solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicles, and hybrid-powered unmanned aerial vehicles. It also explores the practical directions for the development of low-altitude economic infrastructure in the context of new-type smart power systems, providing theoretical sorting and future trend analysis for the empowerment of the low-altitude economy by new energy.