Author: Isaac Gendler

Why Utilities Need to Constantly Monitor Their Assets

Why Utilities Need to Constantly Monitor Their Assets

01/04/20

“Why is it that utilities need to keep constant oversight of their infrastructure?”

Utilities are entrusted with operating vast amounts of critical infrastructure systems. However, with this comes the responsibility to maintain all of it to the fullest standard. If any part breaks down, it can cause grave public damage (as in the case of the Paradise Fires) and will usually be considered a liability committed on behalf of the utility. For this reason, utilities need to keep constant maintenance over their assets, whether it be using drones to keep oversight, implement fault-prediction algorithms, or do in-person inspections. This is Why Utilities Need to Constantly Monitor Their Assets.

How Scada Data Can Inform Us When the Grid Has a Fault

How Scada Data Can Inform Us When the Grid Has a Fault

01/03/19

“How can we learn when our grid is upset just by analyzing SCADA data?”

SCADA is a very useful tool for measuring real-time data pertaining to large industrial systems like the electric grid. Furthermore, since this data constantly monitors highway system is operating, we can see how our system is acting and if it needs help, all from the safety of our computer terminals. So when something like the grid is having a fault, it can be easily detected. This is How Scada Data Can Inform Us When the Grid Has a Fault.

Why Having Plastics in Households Is a Wildfire Resilience Liability

Why Having Plastics in Households Is a Wildfire Resilience Liability

01/02/19

“Why do having plastics in households make a place more dangerous when wildfires come?”

All sorts of items can burn, whether it be wood used for fires or petroleum to power our gas engines. However, one material group that stands out is plastics. When burnt plastics can release chemicals such as styrene gas (which causes damage to the nervous system). If a wildfire engulfs a house, then this can deal a great amount of damage to the surrounding community. This is Why Having Plastics in Households Is a Wildfire Resilience Liability.

Why Electric Utilities Needs to Be Held Accountable for Infrastructure Upkeep

Why Electric Utilities Needs to Be Held Accountable for Infrastructure Upkeep

01/01/20

“Why do electric utilities always need to be held accountable for maintaining their infrastructure?”

By ensuring that the general public receives their power, electric utilities hold some of the greatest infrastructure responsibility in the modern world. However, in order to show that they can handle this level of responsibility, they need to be responsible to look after the condition of their own assets. Failure to do this can great havoc on the general public. To illustrate, Pacific Gas and electricity in Northern California had been negligent about looking over their own transmission infrastructure for decades. As a result of this, one autumn day heavy winds broke one transmission line that would ignite what would become the paradise fire. This cost the company and the public tens of billions of dawn rulers of damages and dozens of lives were lost. This is Why Electric Utilities Needs to Be Held Accountable for Infrastructure Upkeep.

International Wildfire Cooperation

International Wildfire Cooperation

12/31/19

“How can countries across the world unite to solve the wildfire crisis?”

Wildfires are a global problem. Whether it be Paradise burning down in California or the seemingly-apocalyptic bushfires in Australia, all an area needs is a dry climate and high wind speeds for this problem to occur. Fire agencies around the world have taken out of this, and routinely send help to other countries when a catastrophe is going on. To illustrate, in 2018 138 firefighters from Australia and New Zealand were sent to the United States to help for almost 30 days and now in return the United States and Canada are sending 21 firefighters each to help out Australia with the trouble they’re going through right now. This is what International Wildfire Cooperation looks like.

Image credit wildfiretoday.com

Why Do Transmission Line Failure Cause a Disproportionate Amount of the Wildfires in California

Why Do Transmission Line Failure Cause a Disproportionate Amount of the Wildfires in California

12/30/19

“Why is it that transmission line failures cause ten times more wildfires than they should in California?”

Transmission line failures have the ability to start wildfires, as in the case of Paradise. However, In California, while these accidents are responsible for starting only around 1% of fires they cause 10% of all damage (Mitchell, 2013)! This is because these transmission lines failures are more likely to occur during periods of high winds and low humidity, which are ripe for wildfires. So when they do occur, they’re much more likely to spin out of control. This is Why Transmission Line Failure Cause a Disproportionate Amount of the Wildfires in California.

Image credit https://cdn.theatlantic.com/

References:

Mitchell, J. W. (2013). Power line failures and catastrophic wildfires under extreme weather conditions. Engineering Failure Analysis, 35, 726–735. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engfailanal.2013.07.006

How Growing Transmission Needs Can Be Detrimental for Resilience

How Growing Transmission Needs Can Be Detrimental for Resilience

12/29/19

“Why is the growing demand for electricity potentially a resilience liability?”

With the growing demand for renewable energy and electricity in general, transmission lines are expected to grow in the future. however, having more transmission lines also increases liability to natural disasters, whether it be from hurricanes or wildfires. This is How Growing Transmission Needs Can Be Detrimental for Resilience.

Why Resilience Needs More Common Definitions

Why Resilience Needs More Common Definitions

12/28/19

“Why does the field of resilience need to have more common definitions?”

The field of resilience is pipe nascent as a professional form and is growing rapidly. Because of this, people from a myriad of different fields are entering and contributing their own ideas born from their backgrounds. however, a lot of these people become siloed and isolated from each other, and as a result, can’t even agree upon some basic definitions! This is Why Resilience Needs More Common Definitions, so professionals can work together to advance the field. For example, what does it mean to be resilient and how does one build resilience are questions that need to be answered.

Why Wildfires Move From Treetop to Treetop

Why Wildfires Move From Treetop to Treetop

12/27/19

“Why is it that wildfires will move from treetop to treetop?”

Wildfires are some of the most powerful dangerous in areas with Mediterranean climates. However, How exactly do they physically spread? Well, Let’s think about this like an engineer would. We know that fire can spread very quickly when one object touches an inflamed object. And we also know that the parts of an object that protrude the most are the most likely to come into contact with others. So when it comes to trees spreading fire, it would be logical for the treetop to spread fire to other treetops as those are the parts that bend the most outward. This is Why Wildfires Move From Treetop to Treetop.

Image credit ichef.bbci.co.uk