Particulate Static Effect-Induced Power Generation Technology Inspired by the Tesla Turbine Produces Electricity Via Compressed Air Flow and Particles

     Researchers from Chung-Ang University in South Korea, working with collaborators from Kumoh National Institute of Technology, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and National Taiwan University, have constructed a device that converts compressed air into electricity using static charge. Their work was published in the journal Advanced Energy Materials. The device was inspired by the Tesla turbine, a design that spins using fluid flow rather than traditional blades. Instead of friction-based contact, the new generator relies on what the team calls the particulate static effect.

“During the research, we were curious about what would happen if high-speed—or high-pressure—wind blows onto the triboelectric nanogenerator. So, we fabricated a Tesla turbine-inspired triboelectric nanogenerator structure that can be operated with high-pressure air and analyzed the data. From these results, we observed the particulate static effect: the particulate matter in air can also generate surface charge on the triboelectric layer,” said Professor Sangmin Lee of Chung-Ang University.

     The new device can harvest static electricity without friction. Shy Cohen of the Brighterside of News writes:

“Compressed air enters the turbine and creates rotational motion through viscous force. Inside, layers with different electrical properties pick up charge from airborne particles. Because there is no sliding contact, the system behaves like a non-contact triboelectric generator.”

     One of the authors explains:

“The viscous force of compressed air induces rotational motion within the device. Tribo-negative and tribo-positive layers inside acquire surface charge from the particulate static effect without the need for frictional sliding, allowing operation similar to non-contact tribo-electric generators. This facilitates electricity generation via electrostatic induction in the rotating electrodes, and the frictionless rotation enables high-frequency peak outputs,” Lee explained.

     This research marks the first time a Tesla turbine structure has been used to generate electricity. Since compressed air is often used in industry in various ways, the research can open the door for electricity recovery from compressed air that would otherwise be wasted when systems are purged. 

     The system can generate negative ions and can also be used for humidity control and air purification in industrial settings. Purifying the air of dust can improve safety by removing potential ignition sources. Without friction in the system, it can also lead to less need for wear-related maintenance compared with contact-based systems.

“The team suggests future work could explore broader industrial integration and other environments where particulate-laden airflow exists. Mining operations, pneumatic transport systems, and environmental control systems all generate similar conditions.”

     Below is a simple movie clip showing compressed air being used to power four 2.5 W commercial lamps.

 

 

References:

 

Scientists generate electricity using Tesla turbine-inspired technology. Shy Cohen. The Brighter Side of News. February 16, 2026. Scientists generate electricity using Tesla turbine-inspired technology

Particulate Static Effect Induced Electricity Generation Inspired by Tesla Turbine. Seh-Hoon Chung, Dongwon Seo, Chanui Lee, Hyungseok Yong, Sunghan Kim, Zong-Hong Lin, Sangmin Lee, and Jihoon Chung. Advanced Energy Materials. First published: 28 December 2025. Particulate Static Effect Induced Electricity Generation Inspired by Tesla Turbine - Chung - Advanced Energy Materials - Wiley Online Library

 

Geochemical High-Resolution Isotope Ratio Logging for Subsurface Hydrocarbon Analysis: Emerging Tech for Real-Time Reservoir Analysis

     As someone who has geosteered many horizontal wells, I have always thought that new methods could be combined with it for more thorough zone analysis and stratigraphic interpretation confirmation. Drill cuttings can be utilized in real-time or in near real-time for XRF/XRD analysis for the geochemical analysis of the zones being drilled. This has been used effectively for the correlation of zones and marker beds. Another geochemical technique being utilized more recently is isotope logging. This involves continuous measurements of chemical isotopes during drilling. For dry gas reservoirs, the isotopes logged are methane (C1) isotopes. For fluids and reservoirs with more liquids, C1-C3 isotopes are logged as well as CO2 isotopes. The ratios of the different isotopes can be used to geochemically characterize a reservoir and determine important information such as source, generation, alteration processes, and fluid properties of the hydrocarbons.

     Isotope ratio analysis has been around for a long time and has been used for many scientific studies involving geochemistry. Carbon isotope ratios in CO2 and oxygen isotopes have been used extensively for paleoclimate analysis. Nitrogen isotopes have also been used in studies. Other types of hydrocarbon analysis utilize ratios of alkanes of natural gas composition, such as methane (C1), ethane (C2), propane (C3), butane (C4), isobutane (also C4), Pentane (C5), as well as heavier hydrocarbon molecules (C6+).

 

SLB’s Isotope Logger (C1 and C1-C3)

     According to Carl Symcox, Director of Geosciences at Edge Systems:

“This advanced gas detection tool can identify depletion trends, fracture and fault contributions, fluid mixing, and distinct “line of death” compositional shifts. Because methane isotopic signatures are fundamentally linked to hydrocarbon fluid maturity, they provide a robust geochemical signal that is less susceptible to operational noise and surface contamination than traditional gas ratio analyses.”

     SLB has a 2016 case study that uses isotope logging to address rock and fluid heterogeneity along Marcellus laterals. Real-time logging involved generating a thermal maturity log that matched well with a vitrinite reflectance map, the standard for mapping thermal maturity trends.

“SLB proposed using isotope logging service to continuously measure isotopic ratios of δ13C–CH4 from surface while drilling to produce a continuous thermal maturity log. A continuous thermal maturity log is the first step toward determining hydrocarbon fluid type in place, and providing this data would enable improved while-drilling reservoir management decisions.”

     Below is the thermal maturity log generated along with the vitrinite reflectance map.

     SLB notes that real-time isotope ratio logging data can be integrated with quantitative fluid composition data via its FlairFlex™ advanced real-time fluid logging and analysis service.

     For C1 Isotope logging, SLB emphasizes a better understanding of depth resolution and small-scale features:

“A continuous, quality-controlled measurement log of isotopic ratios provides dramatically improved depth resolution and enables identifying small-scale features that would otherwise be missed.”

     For C1-C3 isotope fluid logging, SLB notes that this works with a gas chromatograph, which is standard in mud-logging units, and an isotope ratio mass spectrometer.

“Isotope fluid logging  C1–C3 service is composed of two main parts, the gas chromatograph to separate the C1, C2, and C3 components and the isotope ratio mass spectrometer (IRMS). Both parts can be installed in a standard mud‑logging rack. The service is always deployed in the mud‑logging unit.”

     In March 2025, a case study of the Ledong Gas Field in the Yinggehai Basin in the South China Sea, analyzed with isotope logging, was published in the journal Energies. This basin produces from high-temperature/high-pressure (HT/HP) reservoirs. Isotope logging has been used in the area since 2014 and is noted for identifying “gas origins, source rock maturity, and gas source type and help judge the sealing quality of overburdened mudstone caps.” These are vital things to know in an HT/HP reservoir.

     Below are the abstract and conclusions of the paper.

    

Advanced Mud Gas Logging Tools 

     According to a 2019/2020 paper in AAPG’s Search and Discovery, the development of advanced mud gas logging (AMGL) tools in the 2010s involved the incorporation of advanced degassing systems and geochemical analyzers. The geochemical advancements include analysis of C6-C8 isomers and a continuous high-resolution carbon stable isotope composition of methane (expressed as δ 13C-C1). This enabled the determination of the mixing of thermogenic and biogenic fluids, biodegradation of petroleum, and phase separation and leakage via cap rocks.

     AMGL can be used to determine the hydrocarbon charge history of a reservoir through fluid fingerprinting. These methods of deeper real-time geochemical analysis do not have the limitations of conventional mud gas analysis. They can be used in combination with more traditional analysis such as gas ratio analysis of alkanes.

 

 

References:

 

Isotope Logging. SLB. Isotope Logging | SLB

At-surface real-time isotope logging assesses lateral heterogeneity in Marcellus Shale. SLB. March 24, 2016. At-Surface Real-Time Isotope Logging Assesses Lateral Heterogeneity in Marcellus Shale | SLB

Application of Carbon-Isotope-Logging Technology in High-Temperature and High-Pressure Wells: A Case Study of the Ledong Gas Field in the Yinggehai Basin. Heng Geng, Xiaojun Xin, Leli Cheng, Jiarong Su, Yitao Hu, Ting Song, Ruike Wang, and Yongkang L. Energies. March 29, 2025, 18(7), 1728. Application of Carbon-Isotope-Logging Technology in High-Temperature and High-Pressure Wells: A Case Study of the Ledong Gas Field in the Yinggehai Basin | MDPI

Charge History Clues from Advanced Geochemical Mud Gas Logging. Alan Keith Fernandes and Dariusz Strąpoć. AAPG. Search and Discovery Article #42509 (2020). Charge History Clues from Advanced Geochemical Mud Gas Logging, #42509 (2020).

Isotope fluid logging C₁–C₃. SLB. isotope_fluid_logging_c1–c3_data_sheet.pdf

Isotope logging C₁. SLB. isotope_logging_c1_data_sheet.pdf

High Resolution Isotopes: A new approach to unlock valuable reservoir insights in Marcellus/Utica. Carl Symcox. Pittsburgh Association of Petroleum Geologists. Meeting. March 19, 2026. (Meeting Abstract).

 

 

Forest Soils May Not Store Carbon as Effectively as Thought, but They May Uptake Atmospheric Methane More Than Previously Thought: Forests Also Have Many Ecosystem Service Benefits

    

     This post involves three separate studies: two that quantify the ability of forest soils to store carbon and one that quantifies the uptake of atmospheric methane by forest soils. It also includes another study of the ecosystem benefits of forests. The first study was led by BOKU University and focused on European beech forests in Central Europe. The results suggest that ignoring deep soil carbon levels could lead to overly optimistic estimates of how much carbon forests are able to store. A preceding study also indicated similar results in pine plantations in Scotland. That study found that soil carbon levels were higher by double in nearby grasslands than under a mature planted pine forest.

Prof Subke said: “Our findings emphasised that we cannot over-rely on forests to mitigate the impacts of climate change because there is still so much that we don’t understand.”

“Despite accumulating tree biomass, we may be losing carbon capital – the carbon stored long term in soils and ecosystems – to the atmosphere.”

     The Scotland study found that carbon left in forest soils was less stable and could break down and be released more easily in the future.

Dr Thomas Parker of the James Hutton Institute, who co-authored the commentary, said: “Forests are an essential for human and planetary well-being for a range of reasons, but we need to acknowledge that they are not a silver bullet for all our problems.”

“There are complexities and trade-offs that need to be understood to maximise the net benefits that we gain from forests.”

     These studies show that quantifying carbon uptake and atmospheric release in forest soils is not what we thought it was, which can affect carbon budgeting in climate modeling.

     The study on methane uptake of forests shows that under certain climatic conditions, which are likely in a warming world, uptake of methane by forests is expected to increase. Researchers from the University of Göttingen and the Baden-Württemberg Forest Research Institute (FVA) have evaluated the world's most comprehensive data set on methane uptake by forest soils. Soil gas monitoring in 13 forests in Southwest Germany, including beech and spruce forests, was conducted and tabulated over a 24-year period for the study. This makes it the largest global dataset of continuous CH4-fluxes. The results of the study showed an increase in CH4-uptake of 3% per year on average. 

     According to the paper:

“This study, however, offers unique insights into long-term CH4-uptake variability, with data spanning up to 24 years in 13 forest soils. We observed a high variability in CH4-uptake between the study plots. On average, the observed CH4-uptake was significantly higher than previously expected for temperate forest soils. The large differences between the plots and sites also mean that we cannot simply take an average value for upscaling CH4 uptake e.g. of entire countries. A more detailed investigation of the ecological drivers of this variability at the plot scale and between the plots and identification of proxy parameter is needed to estimate CH4 uptake over larger areas.”

     These studies indicate that we are still learning about greenhouse gas uptake and retention by vegetation, including grasslands and forests. It makes quantifying such things as carbon uptake and retention via reforestation less certain, as there is a lot of variability in quantities.   

 

The Ecosystem Service Benefits of Forests

     Are forests the lungs of the earth, as often stated? Not really. Ocean plankton generate much of our atmospheric oxygen. Oceans, forests, non-forest soils, and other ecosystems are the planet’s main generators of oxygen. Headwaters in forested areas often serve as the origins of our drinking water in natural catchment areas. Forests take up water that would run off in non-forested areas.

     Along with generating oxygen and regulating water, forests also help to filter and purify air pollutants. Trees intercept particulate matter and absorb gaseous pollutants through leaf stomata. A 2014 study showed that trees in rural and urban areas filter air pollution in this way. However, the benefits to overall air quality were less than 1%.

     It has also been found, through studies in the Amazon, that deforestation can increase the incidence of malaria by changing hydrology. In particular, deforestation increases the incidence of stagnant water pooling, which makes habitat for breeding more disease-carrying mosquitoes.

     Forests also interact with the atmosphere to move moisture across continents. They sustain inland moisture transport and precipitation. Thus, they provide a key hydrological balancing function, and removing them can destabilize local and regional hydrology.

     Forests also support local cooling, soil stabilization, and biodiversity. Research suggests that these ecosystem benefits also need to be better quantified.

     According to Everett Sloan at Morning Overview:

“Protecting forests is not only about meeting climate pledges or conserving charismatic wildlife; it also functions as preventive investment in water security, air quality and disease control.”

“At the same time, scientists stress that uncertainties remain, especially around future precipitation patterns and the scale at which mechanisms like the biotic pump operate.”

  

 

References:

 

Deep soil in forests may store carbon less effectively than thought – study. Lucinda Cameron. The Independent. February 10, 2026. Deep soil in forests may store carbon less effectively than thought – study

Forest soils increasingly extract methane from the atmosphere, long-term study reveals. Science X staff. Phys.org. February 4, 2026. Forest soils increasingly extract methane from the atmosphere, long-term study reveals

Forests do far more than store carbon, they literally keep humans alive. Everett Sloane. Morning Overview. February 14, 2026. Forests do far more than store carbon, they literally keep humans alive

Trend analysis of methane uptake in 13 forest soils based on up to 24 years of field measurements in south-west Germany. Verena Lang, Valentin Gartiser, Peter Hartmann, and Martin Maier. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. Volume 375, 15 December 2025, 110823. Trend analysis of methane uptake in 13 forest soils based on up to 24 years of field measurements in south-west Germany - ScienceDirect

Tree and forest effects on air quality and human health in the United States. David J Nowak, Satoshi Hirabayashi, Allison Bodine, and Eric Greenfield. Environmental Pollution. 2014 Oct:193:119-129. Tree and forest effects on air quality and human health in the United States - PubMed

 

Bjorn Lomborg and the Copenhagen Consensus: Deprioritizing Climate Change in Favor of More Pressing Human Betterment Issues

     HumanProgress.org, a libertarian group associated with the Cato Institute, just did a segment on Bjorn Lomborg by Marian Tupy. He first notes that Lomborg’s 2001 book, The Skeptical Environmentalist, which I have not read, got a lot of pushback from the climate change establishment. Lomborg has focused on prioritizing human and environmental problems. I did read his 2020 book False Alarm, about toning down climate change catastrophism, and his excellent 2023 book Best Things First, which was specifically about prioritizing sustainable development goals. I summarized and reviewed that book on this blog.

     It was the more liberal science groups, such as Scientific American and the Union of Concerned Scientists, who criticized Lomborg’s earlier works, such as The Skeptical Environmentalist. For a while, Lomborg was a sweetheart of the U.S. right-wing pushback against prevailing catastrophic climate change narratives. Lomborg was lambasted for challenging that narrative. He was branded as a climate change denier and was said to be in line with fossil fuel interests. However, that was never actually the case.

“The substance of Lomborg’s crime was simple. He took the environmental litany of doom and gloom and checked it against long-run data from the UN, the World Bank, and other official sources. He concluded that on most indicators human welfare had improved, many environmental trends were not as catastrophic as advertised, and that resources devoted to some flagship green causes would save more lives if redirected to basic health, nutrition and economic development. He accepted that global warming is real and largely man-made but argued that the standard policy mix of aggressive near-term emissions cuts was a poor investment compared with targeted adaptation, innovation and poverty reduction.”

     His branding as a “climate crisis denier” is probably more apt, as I, too, agree that calling it the climate crisis is not necessary. Much of his work, however, has been vindicated. Climate change is a problem and is important to address, but there are other, more pressing human issues also competing for funding that really need to be addressed first. Tupy notes that Bill Gates’ recent memo on deprioritizing climate change issues for more pressing problems utilizes arguments very similar to those used by Lomborg. It is also true that Gates and Lomborg have worked together in prioritizing human betterment issues.

     Lomborg noted that other human problems outweighed climate concerns, particularly in developing countries where quality of life and access to needed basic services were lacking. Tupy writes that Gates’ memo was right in line with Lomborg’s analysis:

“The key line could have been lifted from a Copenhagen Consensus report: “The biggest problems are poverty and disease, just as they always have been,” and limited resources should go to interventions that deliver the greatest gains for the most vulnerable. That is Lomborg’s central thesis restated by one of the most influential philanthropists on the planet.”

     Tupy also writes that Gates’ and Lomborg’s views are that “health and prosperity are the best defences against a warmer world.” Lomborg argues that the focus for poor countries should be on economic growth and adaptation to adverse climate and weather.

     Tupy focuses on three ideas that Lomborg’s opponents tried and failed to delegitimize. First is his emphasis of longer-term trends over recent headlines in assessing and ranking problems. Second, he considered climate change one problem among many, instead of some overriding issue that deserves all the attention. Lomborg is always focused on doing the most good with the lowest costs. Overly focusing on climate change does not do that at all, he argued. Thirdly, Lomborg focused on prioritization, specifically subjecting each human problem to cost-benefit analysis, to show where we could do the most good at the least cost. Tupy calls it putting analysis into a framework of applied welfare economics.

     Tupy concludes:

“That is what it means to say that Lomborg was driven by science rather than dogma or emotion. He did not deny problems. He asked how big they are, how fast they are changing, and what works best if we care about human flourishing. His opponents often responded not with better data but with attempts to brand him as illegitimate, to sic committees on him, and to deter others from asking similar questions.”    

“There is a broader lesson. Modern societies claim to revere science, but too often turn scientific disputes into moral battles in which heretics must be shamed or silenced. Lomborg’s experience shows what happens when a researcher challenges a powerful narrative with inconvenient numbers. The attempt to punish him did not change the data. It only delayed a necessary conversation about trade-offs, priorities and the best use of scarce resources.”

     Lomborg, like Gates, is deeply involved in understanding and solving human problems, especially those in the developing world, which are often dire and have life and death risks. He favors the promotion of health, education, the reduction of corruption, the development of durable institutions, and poverty reduction as human goals that simply should outrank climate change.

 

    

References:

 

A Vindication of Bjorn Lomborg: Lomborg’s experience shows what happens when a researcher challenges a powerful narrative with inconvenient numbers. Marian L. Tupy. HumanProgress.org. March 3, 2026. A Vindication of Bjorn Lomborg - Human Progress

 

Putin’s Unwavering Determination Amid His Massive Failure: Is It Enabled by Russia’s Totalitarian Government? So Much Lost and So Little Gained in Ukraine

     The war in Ukraine, or rather the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, as it should be called, just passed its 4-year anniversary. The senseless war has resulted in the unnecessary deaths and injuries of millions of soldiers and civilians. All for what? Some Russian idea of entitlement based on an imperialist past? Russia has also ruined its economy, its international reputation, and strongly increased suppression of its citizens, all to rid Ukraine of the absurdity of perceived fascism.

     Putin’s conviction that Ukraine is an artificial construct with an illegitimate government is apparently what is driving him and his co-conspirators to force the death of millions of people as well as the mass propagation of torture, cruelty, poverty, imprisonment, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and human rights abuses. In an ideal world, we might say, bring NATO in to push the invaders out in a big way and allow Ukraine to join the EU and NATO.

     But Putin failed in nearly all of his goals aside from annexing territories after bombing towns and cities into rubble.  

     Lawrence Freedman writes about this in The I Paper:

“This is exactly the situation he was trying to prevent in 2013, which provides the measure of Putin’s failure. Then the Ukrainian president was a Russophile. Now, Russia will be hated and distrusted by Ukrainians for generations to come. Successive moves by Putin have ensured that his ideal end state of a compliant government in Kyiv is now beyond his reach. And this is before we bring into the equation the hundreds and thousands of dead, injured, and traumatised, the distortion of the economy and the impact on the well-being of the population, the break with the West and the loss of the European gas market, the dependence of China, and the need to ask favours from North Korea and Iran. In a democracy, a strategic blunder of this size would have been called out years ago. In autocracy, one man can have the power to keep this futile war going and not be called to account.”

     Note that at the end, he says that only in an autocracy would such failure be tolerated. In a country where a government has no accountability to its own people due to its control of those people, such toleration of abject failure can occur. The mass sacrifice of human life for small territorial gains is barbaric and needs to be stopped. As well as being barbaric, it is nonsensical. There is simply no way Putin can really win anything. The loss is so huge that few, if any, winning scenarios can replace it.

     The Kremlin is not interested in peace. It is seemingly locked in war mode, and there is no intention that it seeks to change that. Its demands of the rest of the land on the provinces it seeks is a demand that Ukrainians are not willing to accede to, nor will they or should they trust Russian peace efforts, which they have never lived up to in the past. Will Russia ever stop the endless “meat grinder” that the war has become for them?

     The Kremlin may get some reprieve with increasing oil prices due to the war against Iran. Hopefully, the risks of drone attacks in the Strait of Hormuz can be mitigated, and oil prices can come back down. Other forces are working against Russia, including tightening sanctions, more and better sanctions enforcement, more pressure on buyers of Russian crude such as India, and Ukrainian attacks against Russia’s energy exporting capabilities. Other factors working against Russia include its loss of Syria as a Middle East foothold, its loss of sanctions evasion partners Venezuela and Iran, and its vulnerability even in the Mediterranean, where Russian tankers have been interdicted and where a sanctioned Russian LNG tanker was attacked, presumably by Ukrainian drones. With polls showing Hungarian leader Viktor Orban trailing his opposition, it looks very possible that Putin will lose an ally, which would be good for Ukraine and the EU.

References:

 

Putin cannot disguise the true scale of his failure. Russia is on the brink. Lawrence Freedman. The I Paper. February 24, 2026.  Putin cannot disguise the true scale of his failure. Russia is on the brink

Utica Shale Drilling and Dry Gas Production in Northeastern Pennsylvania: Nearing 1TCF of Cumulative Production

     According to the latest Appalachian Basin Digest Monthly Overview, which I get via email subscription from Ayers Petroleum, the Utica Shale dry gas play in Northeast Pennsylvania is nearing a cumulative gas production of 1TCF. Currently, there are 127 producing wells in the play. The digest highlights an area or company every month, and this month it was the Northeast Pennsylvania Utica play. Drilling in the play is confined to just a few companies in just a few counties. Seneca Resources and JKLM Energy are the two main operators in the play, with Greylock Energy having a few producing wells as well. The bulk of the play is drilled by Seneca Resources in Tioga County. JKLM is drilling in Potter County. Greylock is drilling between the two in Eastern Potter County.

     The graph below shows that 2018 and 2019 were biggest drilling years in the play, as was 2024.

     The graph below shows both annual production and cumulative production. Cumulative production is nearing 1 TCF, which is an interesting milestone for the play. It looks like the new wells drilled in 2024 led to 2025 being the biggest productive year in the play, with over 160 BCF produced.

     As shown in the old Utica structure contour map below from 2016, the formation is about 9000 ft below sea level where it produces, and with high ground level elevations, it is below 10,000 ft in vertical depth. Thus, it is much deeper than drilling for Utica in Ohio.

     

 

References:

 

Appalachian Basin Digest Monthly Overview January 2026.

Structure Map of Utica Formation. Energy Information Administration. 2016. Utica play, structure map of the Utica formation

Road Salt and Mist Spark Pole Fires That Lead to Power Outages in Cuyahoga County, Ohio

      I had been unaware of the phenomenon of pole fires, or pole-top fires, on electric poles, and especially of the conditions that created them in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, yesterday. What is a pole-top fire, and what usually causes them?  Public Electric Cooperative explains:

“Pole-top fires can occur when moisture in the air combines with dust and dirt built up on power lines or insulators (used to attach lines to wooden poles) and creates a path by which electricity can travel from lines to the wooden pole or cross arm they are attached to. This is known as "tracking."

“When this happens, the pole or cross arm can heat up and catch fire. The fire damage or the resulting short circuit can cause an outage, as poles damaged by fire usually need to be replaced, or the line may need to be repaired. Drought and humid weather (without rain) contribute to the risk of pole top fires, and fog, light rain, or light, wet snow can provide the right conditions for pole-top fires to occur. Insulators damaged by lightning or other issues may also cause a pole fire.”

     An article for Manitoba Hydro notes that pole-top fires are a major source of spring power outages.

“Pole fires happen as humid air joins forces with dirt, salt, and grime, usually from traffic kicking up dirty mist that coats insulators, making a path for electricity to go from the line to the pole.”

     Thus, it is airborne dust, grime, and salt that accumulate on insulators, along with moisture in the air that initiates pole-top fires.

     The pics below show the effects of a pole fire. The ceramic things that look like springs are the insulators.

Mitigating Pole-Top Fires

     Electrical Safety Authority notes that one way to help prevent pole-top fires is pole washing, or more specifically, insulator washing, where the contaminants are simply washed off the insulators.

“Insulator washing has been found to be effective in removing contamination and eliminating leakage current from ceramic equipment and should be considered as a pole fire mitigation measure in areas with this equipment material.”

     A preferred method of preventing these fires is known as pole framing. This is designing the pole so that the rain naturally washes it. Of the pole framing configurations below, the armless configuration is best for preventing pole fires.

     Utilities have plans in place to track pole fires. These often involve getting calls from those who have seen the fires. They can then restore the line to limit future fires as well as investigate the cause. It is important to pinpoint the contributing causes, such as aging and cracking insulators.

     Safegrid is a company that provides digital intelligence to locate faults. Below, they explain the usual factors leading to pole-top fires.

     Safegrid’s Intelligent Grid System is designed to provide predictive maintenance and to monitor the grid to detect and locate faults. Early fault detection can prevent further problems from developing and reduce outage times.

     Yesterday, in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, near Cleveland, an outage affected 47,000 customers due to a pole fire or fires. A strong contributing factor in these cases was determined to be road salt used to melt the significant snow that has fallen this year. Combined with a humid day, the conditions were right for pole fires.

“The misty rain combined with salt on the road can cause contamination on utility poles. When that happens, electricity can travel across the pole and cause small fires.”

  

 

 

References:

 

Road salt, mist spark small fires and power outages in Cuyahoga County. Amy Russo, cleveland.com. Cleveland Plain Dealer. March 3, 2026. Road salt, mist spark small fires and power outages in Cuyahoga County

Pole fires: a leading cause of springtime outages. How do they happen? Manitoba Hydro. April 3, 2024. Pole fires: a leading cause of springtime outages

Prevent pole fires with Safegrid. Safegrid. March 26, 2024. Prevent pole fires with Safegrid — Safegrid

What is a pole-top fire? People’s Electric Cooperative. 2026. What is a pole-top fire? – People's Electric Cooperative

Mitigation of Pole Top Fires: Best Practice: Version 1. Electrical Safety Authority. Worker safety - Outreach to Municipalities - Electrical Safety Annex