The articles in this Q3 issue of Electric Energy T&D Magazine, cover a range of topics or trends affecting the utility sector. Some of our subject matter experts suggest adopting programs to improve energy efficiency and workforce productivity or how to tackle some of the most difficult challenges utilities are currently facing.

Every one of the articles in this issue is insightful and reflects just how important it is for industry partners to share their best practices, so others may experience similar success. Other industry experts who contributed to this issue list steps utilities can take to avoid pitfalls they may have encountered.

For this column, I am focusing on three articles. The first is “Enhancing Grid Resilience: Sequential Strategies for Effective Wildfire Mitigation,” which appears in our Grid Transformation Forum section of this issue; the second article, “Essential Factors for Managing Vegetation and Mitigating Outages with Unmanned Aircraft Systems,” can be found in the Green Ovations section and the third, “Enhancing Utility Operations Through Technology Integration,” is one of the guest editorials. I selected these three because combined, they demonstrate the interconnection between utilities and industry partners in the energy industry.

Wildfire Mitigation

According to an article written this past March by the Western Fire Chiefs Association, in the 1990s an average of 3.3 million acres burned per year due to approximately 78,600 fires. Since 2000, that number has more than doubled, with an annual average of 70,025 wildfires burning an annual average of 7.0 million acres.

Today’s wildfire hazards have grown more significant. For example, the Park Fire near Chico, Calif., which ignited in late July, burned more than 360,000 acres in less than a week. In Ruidoso, N.M., the South Fork and Salt Fires, which both started on June 17, collectively burned nearly 25,000 acres. In Alberta Canada, a fire has ravaged Jasper National Park. As I write this, that fire continues to rage, and so far, at least 89,000 acres of land have been affected.

These are but a fraction of the fires that have ignited recently, and no doubt, there are more natural disasters looming as summer temperatures continue hitting historic highs.

In the Grid Transformation Forum section, Neil Placer and Michele Pastore from EnerNex, and Matthew Muthard and Jeff Hildreth from KEMA Laboratories point out how wildfires are becoming more intense and happening more frequently, which is taking a significant toll on the energy sector. Drawing upon their collective expertise, Placer, Pastore, Muthar and Hildreth lay out a series of strategies utilities should consider and steps they should take to manage and mitigate the risks that wildfires present.

In his article about using unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to manage vegetation and mitigate outages, Cyberhawk’s Matt Zafuto also writes about the damage wildfires and other natural disasters cause to the electric grid. In the past, utilities sent field workers to assess and repair this damage. Today, utility companies can access drone technology to visually inspect transmission towers and power lines at higher altitudes than any human worker can safely reach.

Zafuto goes on to make a strong case for why unmanned air systems, combined with visual data management software can lead to accelerated programs that drive growth, reduce costs and achieve sustainability targets. According to Zafuto, with the right synergy of hardware, software and services, utility companies can achieve operational excellence, enhance reliability and ensure resilience in a dynamic environment

This is a simple overview, but Zafuto’s article provides detailed information, including specific steps and key considerations when deploying a UAS program for vegetation management and outage mitigation.

As if investing in new technology and establishing new processes to mitigate natural disasters and ensure a more resilient grid weren’t a significant enough undertaking, utilities also must move forward with digitalization. Chad T. Hall with Panasonic Connect writes about enhancing utility operations through technology integration.

Hall explains that challenges like workforce shortages, aging infrastructure and ongoing cybersecurity threats underscore why utilities must take an integrated approach to digitalization, in which hardware, software and services are deployed “in a strategic, holistic manner to position utility companies for both immediate success and future growth.”

For those utilities that have yet to embark or are just embarking on digitalization, Hall explains how, by integrating hardware, software, service and support, utility companies will see increased productivity and reduced downtime for utility workers while meeting their customers' demands “with agility and confidence and optimize operations for long-term success.”

Each of us in the electric energy industry and the organizations we work for play some part in whether or not the entire energy sector succeeds in its push toward grid modernization and grid resiliency. As all of those who wrote for this issue demonstrate, by collaborating with other industry experts, and by pinpointing how utilities have either succeeded or failed in their efforts, we have an opportunity to ensure that our effort towards risk mitigation and recovery today means a modernized and resilient grid in the future.

Don’t miss CIGRE Paris 2024!

If you attend CIGRE Paris Session 2024, you may run into our publisher Steven Desrochers. CIGRE Paris, which will take place from August 25 to 30 at the Palais des Congrès, is the leading global event for power system expertise.

Established in 1921 in Paris, France, CIGRE is a global community committed to the collaborative development and sharing of end-to-end power system expertise. The community features thousands of professionals from over 90 countries and 1250 member organisations, including some of the world’s leading experts. At its heart are CIGRE’s 61 in-country national committees, offering diverse technical perspectives and expertise from every corner of the globe.

For more information on CIGRE or CIGRE Paris Session 2024, visit https://www.cigre.org/GB/events/paris-session-2024.

As always, if you would like to contribute an article on an interesting project, please email me: Elisabeth@ElectricEnergyOnline.com

Elisabeth