Sandia’s Wildfire Grid Resilience Program is dedicated to reducing the risk and impact of major wildfires through innovative tools and enhanced information systems. By focusing on pre-wildfire preparedness, timely responses during wildfires, and swift recovery efforts, the program aims to mitigate grid ignited wildfires, safeguard communities from wildfire, and ensure energy availability for communities and critical infrastructure.
Dr. Brian Pierre, Sandia’s Electric Power Systems Research Department manager, testified at the New Mexico State legislative Science, Technologies, and Communications Committee. During his testimony, Brian explained how modeling can help mitigate wildfire risk from and to the electric grid.
“Sandia is partnering with electric utilities, co-ops, start-up companies, U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. Department of Energy in an effort to reduce the risk of ignitions from electric infrastructure and reduce the impact to critical infrastructure from major wildfires,” said Dr. Pierre.
Sandia’s grid resilience research is vital to advancing wildfire modeling, monitoring, and planning. The tools developed at Sandia are crucial for estimating burn probability, understanding real-time fire risk, modeling investment and vegetation treatment impacts, and forecasting if Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) are needed. The tool is aimed to be used by utilities and rural co-ops who may have limited resources.
Sandia is also demonstrating with electric utility partners an AI-based protective relay to eliminate faults quicker and reduce ignition probably. Enhanced understanding of ignition probabilities, particularly from the grid and lightning, can significantly improve response times. Sandia is performing lightning experiments to create a model of lightning ignition probability so that we can understand the likelihood a lightning storm ignites a wildfire. These improved grid technologies and tools are designed to lower the likelihood of wildfires ignitions and impacts.
Our vision is to ensure that critical information is accessible at the right time to enhance the security of the U.S. electric power grid and protect communities from the threats posed by wildfires. This commitment to national security encompasses proactive risk management, timely response, and rapid recovery efforts.
Sandia thanks the guidance and support of Dr. Joseph Dygert and the DOE CESER Natural Hazards program.
December 8, 2025