Hawaiian Electric is installing a new network of weather stations in high-risk areas to help in its wildfire response.
The stations will be mounted on HECO utility poles and provide meteorological data. The information will be used to help determine if HECO will initiate a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS).
PSPS went into effect on July 1.
“We installed the fire weather station for out here. It provides wind speed and direction readings in real time to make informed decisions along with temperature and relative humidity. It’s all solar powered and looking forward to everything that will help," said Matt Wanink, the operations manager with Western Weather Group.
More than 50 weather stations will be installed over the next two years at a cost of $1.7 million.
It is one of nearly two dozen near-term safety measures the utility has implemented in response to last year’s deadly Maui wildfires.
