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xPrize Wildfire – $11M Prize Competition

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Re: xPrize Wildfire – $11M Prize Competition

#11

Post by devindotcom »

The tagline "ending" wildfires is definitely misleading as of course they are a natural occurrence. But climate change has made them increasingly intense and frequent and although this may also be "natural" in a way it is also increasingly irreversibly destructive as the forests are not replacing themselves "naturally" but rather with invasive or otherwise undesirable species.

Xprize stuff is of course somewhat self-serving and this requires real investment to address (I am writing about one such effort in another tab) but better awareness and intelligence is not a bad thing. No one is talking about eliminating controlled burns or other measures, in fact as the environment macro factors shift we need more information to make informed decisions about when and how to do those.

It does serve the logging industry sure, but also major national forests and parks that serve many purposes. Fisheries and fishing companies benefit from watershed restoration and species-based protections but we don't think of it that way. Besides logging is not inherently evil, where do you think all those compostable paper products come from? A better timber industry is needed to support renewables and wildfire mitigation is a part of that evolution.

Re: xPrize Wildfire – $11M Prize Competition

#12

Post by stonogo »

soperj wrote: post #3

Best way to end destructive fires is to light destructive fires. The real purpose of fighting these fires seem to be protecting the logging industry.

Spoken like someone who hasn't had to spend weeks with off-the-charts smoke-based air quality problems, followed by hundreds of thousands of people having to replace air filters in houses and cars.

Re: xPrize Wildfire – $11M Prize Competition

#13

Post by stonogo »

uoaei wrote: post #5

It seems like the prize is not evaluated based on being able to predict wildfire behavior, but specifically on technologies for quashing wildfires as they start. The former makes a lot of sense, while the latter assumes an outdated perspective on wildland management. Who does this serve?

It serves the people whose houses are burned and the even larger population who has to live in smoke-polluted air for days or weeks at a time. The prize targets extreme wildfire events, as it says explicitly. Not one of the prizes relates to quashing anything, it's all detection and tracking.

Re: xPrize Wildfire – $11M Prize Competition

#14

Post by westurner »

mrandish wrote: post #7

On one hand this effort sounds like a good way to generate some interesting concepts. On the other hand, as a long-time resident of a rural, wildfire-prone area, it's also important to educate the public and politicians that there is a large body of proven land management best practices that can already significantly improve prevention, control and mitigation. While we can always do better, we often aren't sufficient…

Wildfire suppression: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildfire_suppression#Tactics

History of wildfire suppression in the United States: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_wildfire_suppressio...

Controlled burn: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controlled_burn

> A controlled or prescribed burn, also known as hazard reduction burning, [1] backfire, swailing, or a burn-off, [2] is a fire set intentionally for purposes of forest management, fire suppression, farming, prairie restoration or greenhouse gas abatement. A controlled burn may also refer to the intentional burning of slash and fuels through burn piles. [3] Fire is a natural part of both forest and grassland ecology and controlled fire can be a tool for foresters.

Hydrogel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogel

Aerogel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerogel

Water-based batteries have less fire risk FWIU

"1,000% Difference: Major Storage Capacity in Water-Based Batteries Found" (2023) https://scitechdaily.com/1000-difference-major-storage-capac...

> The metal-free water-based batteries are unique from those that utilize cobalt in their lithium-ion form. The research group’s focus on this type of battery stems from a desire for greater control over the domestic supply chain as cobalt and lithium are commonly sourced from outside the country. Additionally, the batteries’ safer chemistry could prevent fires.

Re: xPrize Wildfire – $11M Prize Competition

#17

Post by westurner »

westurner wrote: post #14
mrandish wrote: post #7

On one hand this effort sounds like a good way to generate some interesting concepts. On the other hand, as a long-time resident of a rural, wildfire-prone area, it's also important to educate the public and politicians that there is a large body of proven land management best practices that can already significantly improve prevention, control and mitigation. While we can always do better, we often aren't sufficient…

Wildfire suppression: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildfire_suppression#Tactics History of wildfire suppression in the United States: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_wildfire_suppressio... Controlled burn: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controlled_burn > A controlled or prescribed burn, also known as hazard reduction burning, [1] backfire, swailing, or a burn-off, [2] is a fire set intentionally for purposes…

> Hydrogel

From https://twitter.com/westurner/status/1572664456210948104 :

>> What about #CO² -based #hydrogels for fire fighting?

>> /? Hydrogel firefighting (2022) https://www.google.com/search?q=hydrogel+firefighting […]

>> IDEA: How to make #hydrogels (and #aerogels) from mostly just {air*, CO², algae, shade, and sunshine,} [on earth, and eventually in space,]?

Re: xPrize Wildfire – $11M Prize Competition

#18

Post by mkoubaa »

stonogo wrote: post #12
soperj wrote: post #3

Best way to end destructive fires is to light destructive fires. The real purpose of fighting these fires seem to be protecting the logging industry.

Spoken like someone who hasn't had to spend weeks with off-the-charts smoke-based air quality problems, followed by hundreds of thousands of people having to replace air filters in houses and cars.

Why do you get that impression?

Re: xPrize Wildfire – $11M Prize Competition

#19

Post by westurner »

westurner wrote: post #14
mrandish wrote: post #7

On one hand this effort sounds like a good way to generate some interesting concepts. On the other hand, as a long-time resident of a rural, wildfire-prone area, it's also important to educate the public and politicians that there is a large body of proven land management best practices that can already significantly improve prevention, control and mitigation. While we can always do better, we often aren't sufficient…

Wildfire suppression: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildfire_suppression#Tactics History of wildfire suppression in the United States: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_wildfire_suppressio... Controlled burn: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controlled_burn > A controlled or prescribed burn, also known as hazard reduction burning, [1] backfire, swailing, or a burn-off, [2] is a fire set intentionally for purposes…

> Water-based batteries have less fire risk FWIU

CAES Compressed Air Energy Storage and Gravitational potential energy storage also have less fire risk then Lithium Ion batteries.

FWIU we already have enough abandoned mines in the world to do all of our energy storage needs?

Could CAES tanks filled with air+CO² help suppress wildfire?

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