Three Wildfire Startups Every Utility Should Know

Last December, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) updated a requirement for the companies under its jurisdiction, for the first time since 2008.

Going forward, when utility companies in The Golden State become aware that a breakdown in their equipment has, or may have, caused an incident that results in:

• A fatality or injury requiring attention at a medical facility 

• Property damage ≥$200,000 (up from $50,000)

• Coverage from “any of the major news outlets and publications”

• A government investigation

…they must notify the Commission within two hours (during normal working hours) and four hours (outside of them), and provide a full written report within 20 business days.

It’s in this context that Southern California Edison (SCE) – a company that provides 15 million Californians with electricity – shared a press release on 6th February.

In it, SCE acknowledged its reporting requirements and said that while “the cause of the fire remains under investigation” (at the time of the release), it “believes its equipment may be associated with the ignition of the Hurst Fire.” That fire broke out in Sylmar – the northernmost neighborhood of LA – late on 7th January, and spread over 799 acres (3.2km2), over the following days. Thankfully, no one was hurt.

If it was caused by utility equipment, it wouldn’t be the first time. The New York Times reported, last month, that “since 1992, more than 3,600 wildfires in California have been related to power generation, transmission and distribution,” citing data from the U.S. Forest Service. The largest – the 2018 Camp Fire – destroyed over 18,000 structures and, sadly, took the lives of 85 people.

Fires, like those, can be caused by various things: some within utilities’ control – like rotten pylons – and some outside of it – like power lines being blown down onto dry vegetation during strong winds. 

Here at Innovation Zero, we don’t believe utility equipment-caused fires can ever be eliminated completely. But, we do think steps can and should be taken by utilities, to reduce the risk of fires occurring, and contain them quickly, if/when they do.

Thankfully, work is already underway. Overhead power lines are being buried. AI is being used to better identify hazards, like overgrown vegetation. Last year, power was shut off to 244,000 Californians at high-risk times, during so-called ‘Public Safety Power Shut Offs.’

 

Source: Dryad Networks

Startups are helping too.

A key player in the space is Berlin-based Dryad Networks. Founded in 2020, its gas-smelling sensors have been trained to detect wildfires in their smouldering stage, before flames are picked up by cameras and satellite images.

Carsten Brinkschulte, the company’s co-founder and CEO, told us that it currently counts seven utilities as clients, and is running a pilot with “one of the largest utilities in the U.S.” That project, underway in California, aims to help that power giant understand how “early gas-based fire detection can complement [its] existing wildfire mitigation strategies.” Brinkschulte believes his startup’s technology could provide the utility with “real-time fire alerts to inform response teams,” and help to “guide preventative maintenance, or support decisions around grid management in high-risk conditions.” 

Dryad’s plans don’t stop there, however. Its vision: fully automated wildfire suppression. Right now, it’s developing drones equipped with “acoustic wave technology” – not water – that could be automatically deployed to assess and suppress the fires its sensors detect, before they have a chance to spread. According to Brinkschulte, “this could be a game-changer for utilities, helping them reduce fire-related liabilities and enhance grid resilience in high-risk areas.”

Dryad’s first working prototype of those drones is set for public demonstration next month, on 27th March. 

It’s not the only piece of ‘fire tech’ that could take flight in the coming years.

Israeli startup Firedome has designed an autonomous, patent-pending, “wind agnostic” system to protect homes, businesses and communities from encroaching fires. 

Their concept is simple: on-site cameras and computer vision will continuously monitor customers’ properties – like sub-stations – for signs of fire. When fires are detected, a mechanical launcher will deploy fire-retardant capsules and form a protective barrier around the perimeter. If any airborne embers bypass that perimeter and ignite a spot fire, they’ll be detected and extinguished by the system too. 

Containing fires and preventing them from damaging utility equipment is important work: as NPR reported during California’s wildfires last month, “When the power goes out, health risks rise.” Food spoils; generators, when used incorrectly, can cause carbon monoxide poisoning; and people may not be able to power life-supporting medical devices. FireDome could prevent those things from happening.

(You can learn more about its solution here.)

 

Source: FireDome

Back on terra firma, BurnBot could help utilities in a different way. The U.S. startup is working with customers to ”amplify and complement the capacity of existing fire management programs,” with a variety of remote-controlled machines. 

One, the BurnBot RX2, allows “precise, clean and safe prescribed burns” to be conducted –  removing vegetation around high-value assets – with very small crews. Think of the RX2 as a mobile burn chamber. Propane torches are used to burn areas, as the machine passes over them. Importantly, its built-in water spray nozzles and a “very heavy” roller then extinguish hot embers and remaining flames, to prevent fires from re-igniting after it’s passed through. With prescribed burns no longer hampered by rain and poor weather, they can become a year-round activity. 

(If your company is interested in working with BurnBot, booking enquiries can be made here.)

Of course, these solutions offer just three ways that infrastructure – like utilities – could (and should) be adapted in the face of climate change. Curious to find others? Then why not attend our conference, Innovation Zero World Congress, at Olympia London on 29th & 30th April 2025. Grab your tickets now.