Information provided by PG&E. Lea este artículo en español aquí.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) crews will be using helicopters equipped with advanced technology to survey electrical equipment and nearby vegetation to spot and prevent potential wildfire risks in San Benito County.
Helicopters equipped with Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensors and high resolution imagery technology will evaluate PG&E powerlines and adjacent trees in rural and foothill areas.
Customers may observe helicopters flying low along distribution lines in:
- San Benito County–Panoche Road, Llanada, Chaney Ranch and roads between Anzar High School and San Juan Bautista
The helicopter surveys will take place September 8, 9 and 10 th between the hours of 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. During inspections, customers may see and hear a helicopter and/or drone flying close to PG&E equipment. The helicopter and/or drone may hover in the same location for about 10 minutes at a time. Customers may also see PG&E and/or contractor trucks in the area.
“We are doing everything possible to mitigate wildfire threats throughout the Central Coast, including leveraging an array of advanced technology,” said Teresa Alvarado, vice president of PG&E’s south bay and central coast region. “Surveying by helicopter allows PG&E crews to access remote areas. The LiDAR technology helps us determine where vegetation is encroaching and where maintenance and safety improvements are needed.”
Surveyors collect data on PG&E’s powerlines, poles, and the surrounding trees and brush located along distribution circuits within or adjacent to extreme (Tier 3) and elevated (Tier 2) wildfire risk areas (as defined by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) High Fire- Threat District Map). This data is then used to create a 3-D simulation of our facilities to support the safe and reliable delivery of electricity.
Additionally, the data is used to inform PG&E’s machine learning artificial intelligence risk models to predict the potential risk of catastrophic wildfires from vegetation contacting electric lines.
Utilizing multiple methods to gather data—including patrols, physical testing of poles, ground, aerial, climbing, infrared and LiDAR—PG&E plans to complete inspections of transmission and distribution structures in extreme fire-threat areas, which includes more than 390,000 distribution poles and nearly 39,000 transmission structures.
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