PG&E Installs More Than 300 Weather Stations and 130 Fire Watch Cameras So Far in 2020; More Planned Before End of Year
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PCG) is enhancing its wildfire safety measures by expanding its network of weather stations and fire watch cameras. In 2020 alone, PG&E installed 300 weather stations and 137 cameras, bringing the totals to 900 weather stations and 270 cameras. The company aims to reach 1,300 stations and 600 cameras by 2022. This initiative aims to improve situational awareness and mitigate wildfire risks, particularly during high fire-threat seasons. Data from these installations will inform decisions on Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) to prevent wildfires.
- Installed 300 weather stations and 137 fire cameras in 2020.
- Total of 900 weather stations and 270 cameras now operational.
- Aims to install 1,300 weather stations and 600 cameras by 2022.
- Enhanced situational awareness of fire-danger conditions.
- Improves the ability to forecast weather threats leading to PSPS.
- None.
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A rapidly growing network of weather stations and high definition cameras across High-Fire Threat Districts provide Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) meteorologists and analysts, weather-watchers and first responders with detailed, real-time information that’s crucial during California’s wildfire season. So far in 2020, PG&E has added 300 weather stations and 137 fire watch cameras this year as it approaches the goal of installing 400 weather stations and 200 cameras by the end of December. Currently, PG&E has a total of 900 weather stations and 270 HD cameras.
PG&E has been adding to its network of weather stations and cameras since 2018, mostly in high fire-threat areas in Northern and Central California. The result has been increased situational awareness of fire-danger conditions.
The stations provide temperature, wind speed and humidity data that is monitored, tracked and evaluated by PG&E’s in-house meteorology team in real-time. The data is also critical information for PG&E’s analysts in the Wildfire Safety Operations Center, the “hub” from which the company monitors threats across its service area and coordinates with first responders and public safety officials. The weather data is one of the many factors used to help decide if a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) will be necessary.
High winds can cause tree branches and other debris to contact energized electric lines, which could damage PG&E equipment and potentially lead to a wildfire. A PSPS is when the company may need to turn off power during severe weather for public safety to prevent such fires. PG&E is working to improve its PSPS Program by making events smaller in size, shorter in length and smarter for customers. Installing new weather stations will help analysts more precisely forecast weather that could lead to PSPS events.
“We are taking proactive steps to keep our customers safe before, during and after severe weather and that includes shutting off the power to prevent a fire when the conditions are a threat to public safety,” said Debbie Powell, Vice President of Asset, Risk Management and the Community Wildfire Safety Program at PG&E. “This growing network of weather stations adds important data as we work to mitigate wildfire risk.”
The Wildfire Safety Operations Center staff also use the cameras to monitor and respond to wildfires. PG&E allows CAL FIRE and other fire agencies to control the cameras, as needed, and anyone can view them.
The PG&E cameras and weather stations are part of the company’s Community Wildfire Safety Program. The goal is to install 1,300 weather stations by the end of 2021, to create a density of roughly one weather station for every 20 miles of electric lines in high fire-threat areas and install nearly 600 cameras by the end of 2022. When complete, PG&E will have the ability to see more than
Station observations are available to state and local agencies as well as the public, through PG&E’s website at www.pge.com/weather and MesoWest. Anyone can view the live images from the cameras through the Alert Wildfire Network at www.alertwildfire.org.
Earlier this year, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved PG&E’s 2020 Wildfire Mitigation Plan (WMP), which details plans and actions to make the electric system safer. In addition to installing a series of weather stations, this work includes installing new grid technology, a critical hardening of the electric system and steps to reduce the impacts of PSPS.
For more information about PG&E’s wildfire mitigations and efforts to reduce the impacts of PSPS events, please visit pge.com/wildfiresafety.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric energy companies in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with more than 23,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation's cleanest energy to 16 million people in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit pge.com and pge.com/news.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the beliefs, expectations, estimates, future plans and strategies of PG&E, including but not limited to PG&E’s goals regarding its cameras and weather stations. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions, which management believes are reasonable, and on information currently available to management, but are necessarily subject to various risks and uncertainties. In addition to the risk that these assumptions prove to be inaccurate, factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements include factors disclosed in PG&E Corporation and Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s joint annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, their joint quarterly reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2020 and June 30, 2020, and other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which are available on PG&E Corporation’s website at www.pgecorp.com and on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. Additional factors include, but are not limited to, those associated with the Plan of Reorganization of PG&E Corporation and Pacific Gas and Electric Company that became effective on July 1, 2020. PG&E Corporation and Pacific Gas and Electric Company undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether due to new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by law.
