Optimizing affordable paths to utility wildfire safety across the U.S. and beyond

Utilities across the U.S. are grappling with increasing wildfire risk, with California’s approach involving operational changes and costly infrastructure improvements that many see as unsustainable. Current strategies, including public safety power shutoffs and grid hardening, lack comprehensive evaluations of their cost-effectiveness, yet are crucial for both safety and affordability in the energy transition. There may be additional opportunities for distributed energy resources to contribute to cost-effective strategies as well.

This project aims to analyze and evaluate the costs and risk-reduction benefits of utility strategies relying on operational changes, grid hardening, and distributed energy resources. By addressing this knowledge gap, the team hopes to create insights that will enhance utility wildfire safety while promoting a sustainable energy transition. In partnership with utilities and their regulators, they will develop strategies and a playbook for enabling the implementation of proposed actions.