It’s wildfire season again! As of the end of June, 300 to 400 active wildfires were burning nationwide across some 25 states, with an active burn area of almost half a million acres.

The Role of Utilities

While utilities cause only around three percent of wildfires, the impact of those fires is disproportionately high, accounting for almost 20 percent of total burned area annually in the US, and the highest percentage of catastrophic damage. This is because they frequently ignite in high-risk locations (wildland–urban interface) and can scale rapidly before the utility can detect or shutdown faulty equipment.

Clearly, the best way to limit the damage of utility-caused wildfires is to prevent them from starting in the first place. To this end, utilities need better information, faster.

Timing is Everything

A proactive wildfire mitigation strategy requires utilities to have access to real-time data and predictive analytics across their service territories. The good news is, utilities can gain this information advantage through the implementation of next generation AMI, such as Landis+Gyr’s Revelo® platform. Revelo transforms the meter into a real-time edge computing platform, with ignition prevention apps such as:

• Floating Neutral Detection 

• Hot Socket and Micro-Arc Detection

• Vegetation Contact Detection

• High Impedance Fault (HIF) Detection

Prevention is in the Details

Get the details on these industry-leading prevention tools, and find out how Revelo uniquely equips utilities to improve mitigation strategies and redefine grid safety. Download the Next Generation Wildfire Mitigation brief here.