An Analysis of Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s System Hardening Efforts
Abstract:
<p dir="ltr"> Pacific Gas and Electric, the largest electric service utility in California, has caused some of the largest wildfires in California history by neglecting records and maintenance. After PG&E’s second bankruptcy in 2019, the company made strides in their wildfire mitigation and prevention efforts. The company now publishes incremental Wildfire Mitigation Plans (WMP) detailing how they intend to reduce the risk of power- line-related wildfires in their service area. PG&E primarily focuses mitigation efforts on high risk areas. My research suggests that PG&E’s system hardening is applied in areas with high fire risk, but not necessarily in areas with a high number of wildfires attributed to power lines between the years 2014 and 2022.* I conclude that PG&E should implement system hardening strategies in areas with a high density of power line fires.</p>
Keywords: Wildfires, Pacific Gas and Electric, Risk, Power line Wildfires
Authors:
Caitlin E Berry, Pasadena City College; Submitting Author / Primary Presenter
