The first Advisory Council webcast was held on June 11, 2014, with significant participation from a variety of stakeholders, including Representative Otto, researchers from the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, the Texas A&M Forest Service, and many utilities.
A PDF of slides from the webcast can be downloaded at this link.
Advisory Council Chair Representative John Otto has announced the first meeting of the Advisory Council for the Texas Wildfire Mitigation Project, which will be conducted via a webcast on June 11, 2014. The webcast will be from 2:00-3:30p.m, and will be open to stakeholders from utility companies, state agencies, and first responders. An invitation with instructions on attending the webcast, including a link and phone number, has been sent to parties which have already agreed to participate on the Advisory Council. Any parties who are interested in participating in the Advisory Council, or the advisory council webcast should contact Carl Benner.
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Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) researchers presented wildfire-related research February 19 at the 2014 Innovative Smart Grid Technologies Conference in Washington DC. Entitled “Application of Advanced Electrical Waveform Monitoring and Analytics for Reduction of Wildfire Risk,” the paper highlights multiple cases in which TEES research on intelligent power line monitoring detected failures that, left uncorrected, could lead to fires.
A link to the presentation slides is available here.
TEES is the premier engineering research agency of the state of Texas, with a mission to produce and transfer high-quality, relevant engineering and technological research that provides practical answers to critical state and national needs. TEES, with cooperation from the Texas A&M Forest Service and the electric utility industry, is conducting a multi-year project, funded by the Texas State Legislature, to investigate the application of advanced power line monitoring technologies to mitigate the risk of wildfires.
The Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) and the Texas A&M Forest Service are engaged in a multi-year project, funded by the Texas State Legislature, to investigate the application of advanced power line monitoring technologies to mitigate the risk of wildfires. TEES has composed a list of frequently asked questions for those unfamiliar with the project.
Click here to view the Project FAQ.
Many utilities have questions about TEES’s intelligent power line monitoring technology, also referred to as DFA/HiZ technology, including questions about what the technology does and what is required to install it on a utility’s feeders. TEES has composed a list of frequently asked questions about the technology.
Participating utilities have many factors to consider when selecting potential demonstration feeders for the Wildfire Mitigation Project. TEES has produced a set of guidelines to help utilities as they go through the process of feeder selection.
This meeting was held December 12, 2013. See the bottom of this page for links to meeting handouts.
More than 4,000 power line-caused wildfires have occurred in Texas in the past three and a half years, costing the state and its citizens hundreds of millions of dollars. In response, the legislature has appropriated funds to demonstrate new technologies to mitigate wildfire risks and losses. A project initiation meeting was held Thursday, December 12, 2013, at PUC headquarters in Austin.
The Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) has developed power line-monitoring technologies to detect downed power lines, failing line apparatus, and arcing equipment that can cause fires. Preliminary work has shown that this technology, in concert with Texas A&M Forest Service fire-risk predictive models, can prevent many wildfires and provide more timely awareness of fires as they occur, facilitating rapid response. These two Texas owned and developed technologies have the potential to improve public safety, save lives, and significantly reduce wildfire-related property losses.
The Texas legislature has authorized and funded a two-year TEES project to demonstrate the effectiveness of its technology in selected high-risk fire areas. The success of the project will depend upon cooperation from many stakeholders: utility companies, local fire-response teams, and state agencies, including Emergency Management and the Public Utility Commission.
Location:
Public Utility Commission
1701 N. Congress, 7th Floor
Austin, TX 78701
Parking:
Spaces are available at the Capitol Visitors Parking Garage, 1201 San Jacinto, located between Trinity and San Jacinto at 12th and 13th street.
Meeting Chair
Representative John Otto (District 18)
Co-Hosts
Representative Donna Howard (District 48)
Representative Kyle Kacal (District 12)
Representative Tim Kleinschmidt (District 17)
Representative John Raney (District 14)
Senator Kel Seliger (District 31)
Meeting Agenda
Thursday, December 12, 2013
For additional information, please contact:
B. Don Russell
Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station
979-845-7912
Carl Benner
Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station
979-845-6224
Presentation Materials – Tom Boggus, Texas A&M Forest Service (PDF)
