GRID SECURITYProtecting the Grid from Wildfires
As devastating wildfires continue to burn across the western U.S. and Canada this summer, they’re taking a serious toll on the electrical grid. Every year, wildfires, some sparked by birds or even high winds, cause significant damage to grid infrastructure.
As devastating wildfires continue to burn across the western U.S. and Canada this summer, they’re taking a serious toll on the electrical grid. Every year, wildfires, some sparked by birds or even high winds, cause significant damage to grid infrastructure.
With the frequency and intensity of wildfires on the rise, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) and Office of Electricity (OE) are studying not only how wildfires threaten the grid, but also how grid infrastructure can contribute to wildfire ignition — and ways to reduce both types of risk.
The 2018 Camp Fire in Northern California remains perhaps the most searing example. High winds contributed to the failure of a fatigued metal hook on a transmission tower. An energized power line then struck the tower, creating an electrical arc that melted metal. The molten metal fell to the ground and ignited dry brush below, starting a fire that lasted 18 days, killed 85 people and devastated nearly 240 square miles. While the town of Paradise was reduced to ash and Pacific Gas and Electric Company ultimately filed for bankruptcy, the underlying conditions that led to the disaster—aging equipment, extreme weather, and stressed vegetation—are challenges faced by utilities across the country.
In the aftermath, Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has taken a leading role in building wildfire resilience, testing advanced conductors, insulators, coatings and power poles across its 890-square-mile site. With nearly 100 miles of reconfigurable transmission and distribution lines, INL can string test spans of 500 to 1,000 feet — a capability few research institutions can match.
“INL is unique. We have nearly 80 years of at-scale research and development expertise combined with extreme geography,” said Abby Neumann, program manager on INL’s Advanced Conductor Testing team. “We’re expanding our capabilities with room for further expansion. We’re not at capacity and don’t expect to be anytime soon.”
New Materials Need Testing
Mitigating wildfire risk requires modernizing aging equipment. According to a 2015 DOE assessment, about 70% of U.S. transmission lines are at least 25 years old. Restringing existing lines with advanced conductors is far cheaper than building new infrastructure. These conductors can be made of new materials, have new configurations or use novel coatings, all designed to transfer power more efficiently.
