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Summary

California Wildfires prompt undergrounding

This is a California news story, published by IEEE Spectrum, that relates primarily to U.S. Department of Energy news.

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underground power lines

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underground infrastructure
IEEE Spectrum

IEEE Spectrum

•

Business

Business & Economics

Worm-like Robots Install Power Lines Underground

IEEE Spectrum
Summary
Nutrition label

85% Informative

California utilities have spent years undergrounding power lines to mitigate fire risks.

U.S. Department of Energy launched GOPHURRS program to develop more efficient undergrounding technologies.

Case Western Reserve University in Ohio is building a self-propelled robotic sleeve that mimics earthworms’ characteristic peristaltic movement to advance through soil.

Case’s drilling concept generates the force needed for the tip from the peristaltic segments within the borehole.

As the path gets longer, only the front segments dig deeper.

Another key difference from HDD is integrated conduit installation.

The project aims to halve undergrounding costs, though it's too early to commit to a specific cost model.

VR Score

84

Informative language

83

Neutral language

30

Article tone

formal

Language

English

Language complexity

73

Offensive language

not offensive

Hate speech

not hateful

Attention-grabbing headline

not detected

Known propaganda techniques

not detected

Time-value

long-living

External references

19

https://laneelectric.com/programs-services/underground-vs-overhead-power-lines/https://www.sce.com/sites/default/files/custom-files/PDF_Files/G24-017_Undergrounding_Fact_Sheet_040324.pdfhttps://sr23.senate.ca.gov/content/senator-suzette-valladares-introduces-wildfire-prevention-victim-protection-legislativehttps://www.sdge.com/major-projects/Rule20Undergroundinghttps://arpa-e.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2025-01/Project%20Descriptions_GOHPURRS.pdfhttps://polychaetes.weebly.com/https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov/Default.aspx?Search=DE-FOA-0003047https://www.nae.edu/183133/The-US-Electric-Power-System-Infrastructure-and-Its-Vulnerabilitieshttps://www.cpuc.ca.gov/industries-and-topics/electrical-energy/infrastructure/electric-reliability/undergrounding-program-descriptionhttps://engineering.case.edu/news/us-department-energy-awards-case-western-reserve-university-researcher-2m-develop-worm-toolhttps://engineering.case.edu/research/labs/biologically-inspired-robotics/continuous-wave-peristaltic-motionhttps://arpa-e.energy.gov/news-and-events/news-and-insights/us-department-energy-announces-34-million-improve-reliability-resiliency-and-security-americas-power-gridhttps://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0278364911432486https://www.pge.com/en/newsroom/currents/safety/pg-e-reaches-significant-undergrounding-milestone---burying-more.htmlhttps://case.edu/engineering/about/faculty-and-staff-directory/kathryn-daltoriohttps://bear.warrington.ufl.edu/centers/purc/docs//papers/1007_Kury_Evidence_Driven_Utility.pdfhttps://eng.auburn.edu/news/2024/11/ncame-asel-conduithttps://you.stonybrook.edu/pcelli/facilities/https://archive.news.ufl.edu/articles/2017/09/should-power-lines-go-underground-1.html

Source diversity

17

laneelectric.comwww.sce.comsr23.senate.ca.govwww.sdge.comarpa-e.energy.govpolychaetes.weebly.comarpa-e-foa.energy.govwww.nae.eduwww.cpuc.ca.govengineering.case.edujournals.sagepub.comwww.pge.comcase.edubear.warrington.ufl.edueng.auburn.eduyou.stonybrook.eduarchive.news.ufl.edu

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