Southeast University’s Dr. Can Huang (first author), Dr. Qinran Hu (corresponding author), and Prof. Linwei Sang, together with international collaborators, have received the prestigious IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES) Prize Paper Award for their paper titled “A Review of Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) for Wildfire Mitigation: Policies, Practices, Models and Data Sources.” The IEEE PES Prize Paper Award, established in 1966, is among the highest honors of IEEE PES. It is presented annually to only two papers worldwide, recognizing the most influential works published in PES-affiliated journals over the preceding three years. The award is known for its rigorous selection process and strong international reputation.
Wildfires and power grids exhibit a unique bidirectional interaction: wildfires can damage grid infrastructure, while grid faults may also ignite wildfires. To mitigate this risk, California utilities introduced the Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) program in 2012, significantly reducing wildfire-related impacts on power systems, customers, and the environment. This award-winning paper is the first to provide a comprehensive review of PSPS from a power-system perspective, covering its historical evolution, policy framework, technical approaches, industrial practices, and future directions. It further highlights abundant publicly available data and model resources that warrant deeper academic investigation. Since publication, the paper has received significant attention and high citation metrics, consistently ranking as the most popular article in IEEE Transactions on Energy Markets, Policy and Regulation.
The research team has long focused on power system planning and operation under extreme natural hazards. In the field of wildfire mitigation, Dr. Can Huang previously served at a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory and a major California utility, leading multiple wildfire mitigation and grid resilience projects. He has also been actively engaged in on-the-ground wildfire management efforts and is a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-certified wildfire management specialist.
As climate change accelerates, extreme weather events such as heatwaves and droughts are becoming more frequent in China, leading to sharply increased wildfire risks. Drawing on international best practices in wildfire prevention for power grids is crucial for enhancing the resilience of China’s energy systems, supporting the nation’s energy security transition, and advancing its carbon neutrality goals.
Reference link: https://ieee-pes.org/news/just-announced-2025-ieee-power-energy-society-award-recipients/
Contribution: Qian Tao
Preliminary Review: Wu Xi，Zhong Linlin
Final Review: Gu Wei
