At Rhizome, our mission has always been to equip utilities with the tools they need to integrate climate risk into their planning processes and demonstrate the value of these plans to stakeholders. We understand the multifaceted challenges that climate change poses, and our platform has been designed to address a broad spectrum of climate risks –– even compounding risks — that impact utilities. We’ve focused our attention on the range of climate hazards that lead to a failure on the grid, not the other way around. We’ve modeled storms, extreme temperatures, and high winds, but have stayed shy of delivering intelligence tailored to mitigating the wildfire threat in the utility sector.
Until now.
As utilities battle the growing frequency and intensity of wildfires across the continent, we wanted to develop a product with intention and rigor –– one that helps our customers quench wildfires even before they start. Through our work with electric utilities across the country, we have recognized that supporting their climate resilience strategies is incomplete without purposeful intelligence dedicated to long-term wildfire risk.
So, we are excited to introduce a new extension to our platform: Fire Ignition Reduction and Mitigation (gridFIRM). This cutting-edge wildfire intelligence software application has been specifically designed for electric utilities to place a magnifying glass on their assets and learn the optimal ways to mitigate a wildfire ignition over the decades to come.
The Urgency: Why Wildfire Intelligence Matters
The frequency and magnitude of extreme wildfires around the globe have doubled in the past two decades, according to a study published in “Nature Ecology & Evolution.”1
This trend is expected to continue, with the six most extreme fires occurring since 2017. Beyond the obvious threat to human safety and wildlife losses, the total economic impact of wildfires is staggering. The 2018 Camp Fire alone resulted in estimated total damages of $16.5 billion. The broader economic losses, including healthcare costs due to smoke exposure and long-term impacts on local economies, further exacerbate the financial burden.
Wildfire intelligence is not just an optional enhancement for electric utilities; it is an essential component of modern utility management2. Evidence from the past five years starkly illustrates the devastating impact of wildfires and the urgent need for advanced intelligence to safeguard our communities and critical infrastructure. Recent wildfires in California, Texas, and Hawaii have not only caused widespread destruction, but have also exposed the vulnerabilities of utility infrastructure. By leveraging cutting-edge technology, geospatial data sets, and a fundamental understanding of utility infrastructure, utilities can better predict and prevent wildfires. With recent increases in investment from utilities, boosted by federal funding, billions of dollars can be targeted with discernment to every last pole and wire, ultimately leading to the most efficient path toward building a resilient and secure future for communities.
Understanding the Wildfire Risk Lifecycle
Igniting wildfires present a unique and growing threat to utility infrastructure. Our approach to managing this risk is structured around three critical stages of wildfires:
- Asset Failure
Asset failure is the first part of the wildfire risk management cycle. Understanding the likelihood of asset failure –– both today and in the future –– and how to mitigate it is crucial in preventing wildfires before they happen.
gridFIRM supports asset failure risk reduction through a geospatial visualization of likelihood of asset failure and wildfire hazard potential, overlaid on utility T&D assets in the service area. Using our platform, Aspen, we can anticipate how those failure rates may change in the future according to changing hazards such as wind gusts and extreme temperatures. Additionally, a key feature of gridFIRM enables asset managers to analyze how various infrastructure upgrades could reduce wildfire risk and at what cost.
- Ignition
When an asset fails and creates an arc, spark, or physical contact, there’s a risk of igniting nearby vegetation such as trees and brush. gridFIRM’s ignition model visualizes which assets have the potential to ignite a wildfire at a particular location, incorporating information related to anticipated dryness, heat, and vegetation conditions.
- Spread and Damage
Once there’s an ignition, there is a risk of spread. In order to understand how a wildfire may spread, it is important to understand environmental variables that may influence the burn rate and extent of a fire, along with the location of vulnerable assets, structures, and communities. With gridFIRM, asset managers can easily leverage gridFIRM’s consequence analysis features to understand various scenarios of impact should an ignition occur. Additionally, they can access models of the time history of wildfire risk to understand how asset-caused wildfire risk has evolved over time and anticipates how wildfires may continue to evolve in the future.
Demonstrating the Value
One of the key challenges utilities face is demonstrating the value of their climate risk mitigation plans to stakeholders. Our platform provides clear, data-driven insights that illustrate the potential impacts of wildfires and the effectiveness of proposed mitigation strategies. This transparency is crucial for securing the necessary support and investment to implement these plans. gridFIRM was developed to assist utilities in the development of their Wildfire Mitigation Plans, specifically.
Looking Ahead
As we continue to refine and expand our platform, our commitment to helping utilities navigate the complexities of climate risk remains steadfast. gridFIRM is a significant step forward in our mission to build a more resilient and sustainable future.
Stay tuned for more updates as we deploy and continue to develop the product and features, and explore new ways to support utilities in their efforts to protect our communities from the growing threat of wildfires.
Reach out to us for more information on how gridFIRM can benefit your utility and help you stay ahead of wildfire risks.
References
1 US Department of Commerce & NOAA Service Assessment of Camp Fire
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