Impact of wildfires on power systems

Abstract

Power systems, particularly those located near forests, are exposed to wildfires during summer seasons especially in regions with high temperatures. This issue may impact on operation of power grids and thus their reliability and resilience. However, the traditional reliability and resilience models may not be effective anymore as such events occurs more frequently and their impacts are broader than the ones were previously considered in system reliability assessments. In this study, the byproducts of wildfires are identified, and their impacts are modeled to provide a better picture for reliability and resilience assessments. These models will help analyze the effect of wildfires on different components in a power system, for instance, the impact of heat, smoke, or ash on the power lines and renewable energy resources. Studying the effects of wildfires on electrical power systems, analyzing and formulating these impacts, and determining their intensity on electrical components and energy production are contributions of this thesis. In particular, this work provides an overview of efforts in evaluating the impact of wildfires due to heat, smoke, and ash on different power grid components.