Managing Extreme Wildfire Risk in California

Published:

Project Overview

This interdisciplinary research project addresses the critical challenge of extreme wildfire risk in California, developing innovative approaches for risk assessment, mitigation strategies, and power system decision-making framework.

Research Focus Areas

Wildfire Risk Modeling

  • Advanced machine learning and AI techniques for wildfire prediction
  • Integration of meteorological, topographical, and vegetation data
  • Real-time risk assessment and deicision-making framework

Power System Resilience

  • Optimization of Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS)
  • Grid hardening and infrastructure resilience strategies
  • Distributed energy resource integration for enhanced reliability

Technical Innovation

  • Data-Driven Approaches: Integration of weather data (both measured and simulated), and utility infrastructure information
  • Optimization Algorithms: Advanced optimization and AI/ML models for decision support
  • Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborative approach with utilities, agencies, and communities

Collaborative Network

  • Academic Partners: UC Berkeley, UC Santa Barbara, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
  • Research Institutions: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Funding Details

  • Funding Agency: University of California Office of the President (UCOP)
  • Award Amount: $500K over 3 years (LBNL portion)
  • Co-Principal Investigators: Multi-million multi-campus collaboration across UC system
  • Project Period: 2019-2024

Request a Demo

Interested in learning more about our wildfire risk management and power system resilience tools? Request a demo by contacting Dr. Bin Wang at wangbin@lbl.gov.