San Diego Gas & Electric and 16 other utilities joined with the U.S. Department of Energy Thursday to launch a partnership to help protect the nation’s energy infrastructure against the impacts of extreme weather and climate change.
SDG&E will contribute its weather network, one of the largest and most sophisticated utility-owned systems in the U.S., and a web-based tool that classifies fire danger brought about by Santa Ana winds.
The Partnership for Energy Sector Climate Resilience was created in partnership with the U. S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service and UCLA.
The Santa Ana Wildfire Threat Index, which includes four classification levels from “marginal” to “extreme,” will be used to help fire agencies, other first-responders and the public determine what actions to take based on the likelihood of a catastrophic wildfire breaking out, according to SDG&E.
“Collaboration between the public and private sectors will be vital to our nation’s preparedness for climate-related changes that could impact our country’s electric grid,” said Steven Davis, SDG&E’s president and chief operating officer. “The goal of this partnership is to identify the challenges our energy partners are facing today and how we can work together to develop some sustainable solutions.”
Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and top executives from the utilities discussed how to accelerate investments in technologies, practices, and policies that will result in a resilient energy system.
—City News Service
