Wildfire Detection, Mitigation and Prevention

The power system itself can be a factor in starting wildfires. Several of the largest and most destructive wildfires in California were started by power lines. While traditional ROW maintenance and inspections can help, this panel will concentrate on emerging technologies that can help with early detection of wildfires and detection of incipient failures that can lead to a wildfire. Many of these technologies are continuously monitoring the system utilizing artificial intelligence to identify fires or identify defective equipment. Other technologies, such as distribution fault anticipation, enable true condition-based maintenance of electric circuits including continual monitoring to assess the health of circuits. This includes early detection of failing devices by recognizing low grade arcing conditions and other failure signatures.