A key focus for us when it comes to wildfire mitigation is system hardening — putting up fire-resistant poles, covered power lines and converting overhead lines to underground in high-risk areas (extracted from PGE website).
IND Technology is proud to have submitted its final report to the Victorian Government on the latest two-year trial of Early Fault Detection (EFD™) for rural powerlines.
Like eight previous local trials over the past decade, this one confirmed EFD™ effectiveness in reducing fire risks by continuously monitoring powerlines to detect and address faults before they spark fires.
So why hasn’t EFD™ been rolled out nationwide to protect rural communities from catastrophic powerline fires?
The report finds that while EFD™ is proven, affordable, and practical, Australia’s economic regulation framework, which guides the funding priorities of powerline network businesses, primarily focuses on investments with energy market benefits, with limited provisions for public safety initiatives.
This echoes the frustrating trend of Australian innovations gaining widespread adoption overseas but limited local uptake. During the trial, Victoria’s powerline businesses ordered just 39 EFD™ systems, while North American utilities purchased 10,000.
With the safety of rural communities at stake, we must urgently address this disparity and ensure measures like EFD™ are deployed to prevent another Black Saturday.
Read the full report below to learn more about the trial findings and proposed solutions to overcome these barriers and better safeguard our communities.
Download the final report here.
FireSafe SWER EFD Trial Final Report November 2024
To download full report, please submit the contact form and the team will contact them back within 48 hours.
