Public Safety Power Shutoff

Risk Reduction Category

Fault Energy Limiting

Technology Description

Utilities may temporarily turn off power to specific areas to reduce the risk of fires caused by electric infrastructure. This action is called a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) [1]. Energy companies make the decision to turn off power by monitoring local fire danger conditions across their service territory taking into consideration a combination of weather and environmental factors [2]. Some of the larger challenges utilities are encountering are:

  • Frequency of PSPS events (if not governed by state public utility commission (PUC)/public service commission (PSC)):
    • Exercise PSPS too often, and a utility may see increased customer complaints.
    • Exercise PSPS too conservatively, and a fire may be ignited.
    • Utilities have expressed a need to standardize on exactly when to use PSPS to justify the decision on when and for how long to exercise a PSPS.
  • Exactly which circuits should be included in a PSPS event:
    • While utilities have some guidance from weather stations, state and federal agencies, and other data sources, the circuits to be included in a PSPS event needs to be minimized.
  • Serving critical loads:
    • Hospitals and other critical loads might need to be served by a microgrid or other stand- alone energy grid while the PSPS is engaged, and for long periods of time until the environmental conditions necessitating a PSPS have passed.
  • Pre-event communication:
    • Having more time to prepare for an upcoming PSPS event, customers can better prepare for the loss of power.

AI software packages are closing the loop between operations and analytics. The objective of the AI is to streamline data management across disparate utility platforms to improve operations in general. For example, vegetation management, grid hardening, and undergrounding efforts each rely on their own sets of data. Combining these datasets into a single platform enables new optimization opportunities. Workflow within vegetation management can coordinate with undergrounding efforts in this scenario.

Technical Readiness (Commercial Availability)

While most of the PSPS events have occurred in the state of California (from the North American viewpoint), PSPS has been, and is being, adopted across the country and around the world. Optimization of PSPS efforts using AI software is in the early stages of development and field deployment.

Palantir Technologies

Palantir Technologies is a software company that builds enterprise data platforms for use by organizations with complex and sensitive data environments. From building safer cars and planes, to discovering new drugs and combating terrorism, Palantir helps customers across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors transform the way they use their data. [3]

https://www.palantir.com/newsroom/press-releases/palantir-technology-to-enhance-California-electric-grid-safety-and-reliability/

Implementations / Deployments

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has deployed Palantir’s Foundry software beginning around 2020, working across multiple business units to provide a single, integrated platform, giving decision-makers complete and real-time information.

The use of this novel technology, in its early stages of deployment, has already enabled PG&E to make effective, timely, data-driven decisions related to its Public Safety Power Shutoff program and is intended to further inform its wildfire risk mitigation programs and initiatives in the future. Palantir reports a 65% reduction in reportable ignitions based off of data in PG&E’s burn scar database. Palantir also reports that two other west coast utilities are using their product

Innovations as of Mid 2023

Potential Enrichment Work Opportunity

References

[1] https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/psps/

[2] https://prepareforpowerdown.com/

[3] https://www.palantir.com/newsroom/press-releases/palantir-technology-to-enhance-California- electric-grid-safety-and-reliability/