Systemic Drivers of Electric-Grid-Caused Catastrophic Wildfires: Implications for Resilience in the United States
Wildfires are projected to increase in severity and frequency due to climate change, and the electric grid is both a cause of wildfires and is vulnerable to wildfires. Equipment from the electric grid accounts for 10% of fires burned in California and 3% of fires nationally. Recent catastrophic wild...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Challenges |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2078-1547/16/1/13 |
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| author | Holly Eagleston Michelle Bester Jubair Yusuf Adit Damodaran Matthew J. Reno |
| author_facet | Holly Eagleston Michelle Bester Jubair Yusuf Adit Damodaran Matthew J. Reno |
| author_sort | Holly Eagleston |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Wildfires are projected to increase in severity and frequency due to climate change, and the electric grid is both a cause of wildfires and is vulnerable to wildfires. Equipment from the electric grid accounts for 10% of fires burned in California and 3% of fires nationally. Recent catastrophic wildfires, such as the Lahaina Fire, Camp Fire, Marshall Fire, and Smokehouse Creek fires, were all started by electrical equipment and show how devastating these events can be because they threaten lives and structures. Vegetation structure, weather and winds, climate and vegetation response, land use, and human activities all impact the likelihood of severe wildfires. We explore the relationship between the built environment, electric grid infrastructure specifically, and its role in causing catastrophic wildfires to find lessons learned for increasing resilience. Electric grid utility companies currently employ multiple methods to mitigate fire, including (1) early detection, (2) grid hardening, (3) vegetation management, and (4) pre-emptive shutoffs. Utility companies need to consider the conditions for wildfire and the impact that each mitigation strategy has on drivers of wildfire behavior, as a single solution will not be adequate. Utility companies need to work with stakeholders to develop a holistic strategy to reduce ignition likelihood and spread likelihood to reduce catastrophic wildfires and improve resiliency. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8a4064aa289f441daeab829ea1be3c68 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2078-1547 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Challenges |
| spelling | doaj-art-8a4064aa289f441daeab829ea1be3c682025-08-20T03:43:33ZengMDPI AGChallenges2078-15472025-02-011611310.3390/challe16010013Systemic Drivers of Electric-Grid-Caused Catastrophic Wildfires: Implications for Resilience in the United StatesHolly Eagleston0Michelle Bester1Jubair Yusuf2Adit Damodaran3Matthew J. Reno4Sandia National Laboratories, 1515 Eubank Blvd., Albuquerque, NM 87123, USASandia National Laboratories, 1515 Eubank Blvd., Albuquerque, NM 87123, USASandia National Laboratories, 1515 Eubank Blvd., Albuquerque, NM 87123, USASandia National Laboratories, 1515 Eubank Blvd., Albuquerque, NM 87123, USASandia National Laboratories, 1515 Eubank Blvd., Albuquerque, NM 87123, USAWildfires are projected to increase in severity and frequency due to climate change, and the electric grid is both a cause of wildfires and is vulnerable to wildfires. Equipment from the electric grid accounts for 10% of fires burned in California and 3% of fires nationally. Recent catastrophic wildfires, such as the Lahaina Fire, Camp Fire, Marshall Fire, and Smokehouse Creek fires, were all started by electrical equipment and show how devastating these events can be because they threaten lives and structures. Vegetation structure, weather and winds, climate and vegetation response, land use, and human activities all impact the likelihood of severe wildfires. We explore the relationship between the built environment, electric grid infrastructure specifically, and its role in causing catastrophic wildfires to find lessons learned for increasing resilience. Electric grid utility companies currently employ multiple methods to mitigate fire, including (1) early detection, (2) grid hardening, (3) vegetation management, and (4) pre-emptive shutoffs. Utility companies need to consider the conditions for wildfire and the impact that each mitigation strategy has on drivers of wildfire behavior, as a single solution will not be adequate. Utility companies need to work with stakeholders to develop a holistic strategy to reduce ignition likelihood and spread likelihood to reduce catastrophic wildfires and improve resiliency.https://www.mdpi.com/2078-1547/16/1/13wildfireelectric gridignition causeswildfire prevention |
| spellingShingle | Holly Eagleston Michelle Bester Jubair Yusuf Adit Damodaran Matthew J. Reno Systemic Drivers of Electric-Grid-Caused Catastrophic Wildfires: Implications for Resilience in the United States Challenges wildfire electric grid ignition causes wildfire prevention |
| title | Systemic Drivers of Electric-Grid-Caused Catastrophic Wildfires: Implications for Resilience in the United States |
| title_full | Systemic Drivers of Electric-Grid-Caused Catastrophic Wildfires: Implications for Resilience in the United States |
| title_fullStr | Systemic Drivers of Electric-Grid-Caused Catastrophic Wildfires: Implications for Resilience in the United States |
| title_full_unstemmed | Systemic Drivers of Electric-Grid-Caused Catastrophic Wildfires: Implications for Resilience in the United States |
| title_short | Systemic Drivers of Electric-Grid-Caused Catastrophic Wildfires: Implications for Resilience in the United States |
| title_sort | systemic drivers of electric grid caused catastrophic wildfires implications for resilience in the united states |
| topic | wildfire electric grid ignition causes wildfire prevention |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2078-1547/16/1/13 |
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