Case Study: San Diego Gas & Electric reduces wildfire risk with Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories

San Diego Gas & Electric mitigates wildfire risk with SEL across 7 FCP circuits

San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) faced the significant challenge of mitigating wildfire risk in Southern California caused by downed power lines. Traditional protection equipment was often too slow to respond, especially to high-impedance faults. Partnering with Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL), SDG&E sought an innovative solution to de-energize broken conductors before they could hit the ground and start a fire.

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories collaborated with SDG&E to develop a falling conductor protection (FCP) solution. This system utilizes synchrophasor data from field devices, which is analyzed by an SEL Real-Time Automation Controller (RTAC) running a patented algorithm. The solution trips the circuit in milliseconds, isolating the broken line while it is still in mid-air. As a result, SDG&E has enhanced public safety by minimizing wildfire risk and has successfully implemented the solution on seven circuits, with plans for eight more.

San Diego Gas & Electric (sdg&e)