ENERGY.GOV: DOE to Host Webinar Series on Wildfire Mitigation Technologies to Protect the Electric Grid

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Electricity today announced a new webinar series focused on wildfire mitigation. The four-part series, to be held in April, will highlight DOE national laboratories’ wildfire mitigation capabilities and available technologies to improve electric infrastructure resiliency during fires.

“The growing danger of wildfires pose increasing threats to the American electric infrastructure – a vital piece of our nation’s safety, prosperity, and wellbeing,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for Electricity Patricia Hoffman. “This webinar series will connect stakeholders with the National Labs and their world-class capabilities to help prevent equipment failures that can lead to these dangerous fires.”

Approximately 10% of wildfire ignitions are sparked by faults on electrical infrastructure or electric equipment failure. Power shutoffs in anticipation of, or due to wildfires are a growing risk as the country experiences more intense and frequent fires.

DOE will host the webinars each Thursday in April with speakers from the Office of Electricity and Argonne, Lawrence Berkeley, Oak Ridge, Pacific Northwest, and Sandia National Laboratories, and the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.