Tag: Adaptation

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 Undergrounding Transmission Lines Will Not Completely Stop Wildfires

Why Undergrounding Transmission Lines Will Not Completely Stop Wildfires

12/26/19

“Why will fires start even if there are no transmission lines above ground?”

Undergrounding transmission lines is often talked about as one of the most effective actions that can be taken to stop wildfires from occurring. However, even if the entire grid goes underground wildfires can start from a variety of other causes. These can include anywhere ranging from camping mistakes to a car causing an ignition. This is Why Undergrounding Transmission Lines Will Not Completely Stop Wildfires.

Image credit http://www.transmissionhub.com

How Waveform Analytics Can Help Grid Resiliency

How Waveform Analytics Can Help Grid Resiliency

12/25/19

“How can we use waveforms to analyze the stability of the electric grid?”

The electrical grid is prone to crashing whether it be because of natural or human causes. When this happens, the waveform signals get distorted. As such, waveform analysis in real-time can help detect when the rent goes down and went to respond. This is How Waveform Analytics Can Help Grid Resiliency.

How the Evolution of Early Warning Systems Are Already Saving Lives

How the Evolution of Early Warning Systems Are Already Saving Lives

12/22/19

“How are early warning systems to disasters already saving the lives of many?”

Environmental disasters are becoming more and more frequent with the advent of climate change. As a result governments around the world are looking into ways to build resilience in the new climate paradigm. One very simple yet effective method to implement is early warning systems. Early warning systems use sensors to monitor external conditions and parlay them into a mathematical algorithm to see if a disaster is coming. Examples could be the sensor that monitors the dryness of the air, the local temperature, and the wind speed to assess if a wildfire will begin and a system that measures the frequency and intensity of waves to check if there is an incoming tsunami. As the signal is triggered, nearby citizens can evacuate in time. When put in place, loss of life from disasters tend to go downwards. This can be seen from Zambia to Mumbai.

Wildfire Safety Zones

Wildfire Safety Zones

12/20/19

“Where can firefighters take shelter while fighting a wildfire?”

Firefighters have very difficult jobs. They have to respond to catastrophic emergencies at a moment’s notice, even if it means waking up in the middle of a night and rushing hours to the site. This can be especially difficult when fighting large-scale wildfires, which can go on for days and even weeks and take up enough land to fill a country. As a result, they will need time to rest during operations. To do this, they must seek out Wildfire Safety Zones which can provide refuge from the blaze and allow the firefighters to survive without being injured from exposure to the radiant and convective heat from the fire, and would not have to deploy and enter a fire shelter.

How Power Shutoffs Cause Economic Damage

How Power Shutoffs Cause Economic Damage

12/19/19

“How do power shutoffs cause economic damage?”

Power shutoffs are common in the developing world and are becoming frequently more common in the industrialized one due to climate change. When these do occur, all modern society of operations ground to a halt. Food goes rotten from lack of refrigeration, shops and workplaces have to close due to a lack of power access, and even interdependent infrastructures such as transportation and water can go down. All of these combined lead to great economic damage through lost commodities and working hours. This is How Power Shutoffs Cause Economic Damage.