AI Cameras Help Keep Colorado Wildfires at Bay
Image courtesy of Glenn Beltz under Attribution 2.0 Generic License, resized to 700 x 391 pixels.
Cameras powered by artificial intelligence, or AI cameras as I?ll refer to them in this post, have proven to be successful in terms of detecting and preventing wildfires in Colorado. The Colorado cameras, deployed by Xcel Energy and CORE Electric Cooperative, might serve as a useful roadmap for other utilities looking to reduce the impact of wildfire activity on operations.
How the AI Cameras Help Prevent Disaster
In June 2024, the cameras installed by Xcel and CORE detected smoke caused by a lightning strike. Within 30 minutes, 2 water-dropping helicopters were dispatched, and the damage was limited to only 3 acres.
The cameras, provided by a company called Pano AI, offer a remote 360-degree perspective that is analyzed in real time via artificial intelligence to detect fire and pinpoint its exact location. Pano AI also partners with Portland General Electric, Austin Energy and Holy Cross Energy, and recently announced it will provide cameras at 78 locations in Hawaiian Electric’s service territory.
CORE currently has 6 installed AI cameras. Xcel has 28 within its Colorado footprint and intends to install 14 additional cameras by the end of 2024. Xcel in particular must be pleased with the results of the technology, as the company has been hit with a number of wildfire lawsuits for the Smokehouse Creek Fire in early 2024 that scorched over 1 million acres of woodland. In addition to the cameras, Xcel has also ramped up its vegetation management activities, improved its power shutoff program, and is working to upgrade and harden its equipment.
The bottom line is that wildfire activity is one of the most pressing threats facing utilities in certain areas, especially out west. Not only does it represent an obvious outage risk and safety issue, but some highly vulnerable utilities find themselves uninsurable thanks to this risk. Therefore, anything like AI cameras that can be deployed to help reduce the risk must be explored.
