Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PG&E) is deploying innovative and emerging technologies, including a remotely operated controlled-burn system, next-generation drones and wireless remote grids, building on the proven layers of protection that reduced wildfire risk from its equipment by 94%, based on established methodologies, to help keep its customers and hometowns safe.

“Our system has never been safer, and we continue to make it safer every day. We’re prepared with multiple layers of protection and innovative new technologies to mitigate catastrophic wildfires in our hometowns. We want a future where our customers don’t have to choose between safety and reliability — we want both and we are working every day to make that possible,” said Sumeet Singh, PG&E executive vice president and chief operating officer.

Neither Overhead, Nor Underground

With ground-level distribution systems (GLDS), power lines are neither suspended from utility poles nor buried underground. Instead, lines are placed inside protected and resilient conduits that rest on the ground. PG&E is exploring moving overhead power lines to ground level to eliminate ignition risk and enhance grid resilience. GLDS packages electric cable in conduit in a specially molded tray, tied in with a basalt rebar, then sealed with a special geopolymer cement, placed at ground level and capped in thermoplastic.

PG&E reached a significant milestone as a half mile (0.8 km) of GLDS circuit was energized in November 2023 in San Mateo County, California, U.S., as the first-in-the-world installation and energization. The utility anticipates this innovative approach could provide comparable risk reduction to undergrounding.

Fighting Fire with Fire

PG&E is testing BurnBot as an alternative to traditional land management techniques (such as using herbicides or mowers) around its facilities to clear vegetation, explore potential environmental and safety benefits, and determine opportunities to scale. BurnBot offers a remotely operated, controlled-burn technology to manage landscapes and burn woody materials on-site to reduce environmental and safety issues associated with controlled burns.
PG&E conducted multiple BurnBot tests in varied terrain in 2023 and plans to expand its testing in additional settings in 2024.

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