Electrical utility infrastructure has historically been responsible for less than 10% of reported wildfires in California. However, fires attributed to power lines account for roughly half of the most destructive wildfires in the state’s history. Rapid detection of electrical faults and de-energization of the affected power line can therefore play an important role in reducing the potential for utility-related wildfire ignition.

Power semiconductors offer an opportunity to significantly reduce protection response times, potentially to well below one cycle. One approach uses thyristor-based solid-state crowbars to rapidly short-circuit the line during a fault, providing a fast-acting protective response ahead of conventional electromechanical switching devices. This additional layer of protection can be integrated with existing infrastructure while retaining conventional circuit-interruption equipment. Because the crowbar operates only during fault conditions rather than continuously conducting load current, it can provide high-speed protection without introducing continuous operating losses.

This presentation will explore the potential application of solid-state crowbar protection as a wildfire risk-mitigation technology, including its fundamental operating principles, key technical design considerations, integration with conventional protection equipment, and the modular architecture that allows the concept to scale from low-voltage to medium-voltage distribution systems.