FIREWALL – 911±¬ÁÏ’s Energy, Community Resilience to Wildfires
A workshop focused on "Wildfire Resilience of the Energy Sector in 911±¬ÁÏ" was virtually held on Sept. 15, 2021, as part of an NSF-supported planning grant.
The (FIREWALL) workshop amplified wildfire-response awareness in 911±¬ÁÏ by facilitating a dialogue among researchers, local communities, and stakeholders. Participants worked to provide solutions for emergency preparedness, operational endurance, and enhanced resilience of the unique 911±¬ÁÏ electric grid to wildfires.
The visions, insights, and developments shared at the one-day workshop aimed at identifying research gaps and prioritizing future research directions and roadmaps to deploy advanced energy technologies for resilience against wildfires. The workshop brought together around 100 participants and consisted of seven consecutive panels. Invited speakers at the included representatives from 911±¬ÁÏ community and state organizations, federal agencies, national laboratories, the electric utility industry, and research and academic institutions.
The project envisions a second FIREWALL workshop will be held at the University of 911±¬ÁÏ Anchorage in summer 2022.