California fires, powerlines partly to blame: could a smart grid help?

An article from the Washington Post begs the question of how a smart grid could help prevent wildfires in California. It seems to me that a a smart grid could help detect downed powerlines that could start such fires. A smart grid that touches all of the elements of the grid (transformers, capacitor banks, etc.) and provides real-time warnings of a downed powerline would also provide added benefits of supporting distributed generation, demand response, etc.? Here's an excerpt from the fire-powerline story from the Washington Post:

Probe of Calif. Fires Lays Most Blame on Power LinesDowning of Poles by Santa Ana Winds Renews Debate Over Costly Option of Burying Electrical Cables
By Karl VickWashington Post Staff WriterMonday, December 24, 2007; A03
LOS ANGELES -- When the firestorms of October were finally extinguished and hundreds of thousands of Southern Californians returned to their homes, officials set out to understand how 21 fires erupted in the span of just three days.
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The leading cause of ignition appeared to be power lines.
As many as eight fires were blamed on sparks from lines blown down by the high, hot Santa Ana winds that sweep across Southern California each autumn. The Witch fire, which burned 200,000 acres and killed two people, was ignited by a power line, as was the smaller Guejito blaze with which it merged.
The findings have renewed calls for improving the safety of the power lines, either by reinforcing poles and line fasteners or, in some cases, placing cables underground in rural areas that experience the worst winds.
"We're certainly all looking at undergrounding in fire-prone rural areas -- even though that hasn't been the norm -- given the number of fires that have broken out over the last several years," said Christy Heiser, a spokeswoman for San Diego Gas & Electric. She noted that 60 percent of the utility's lines are already underground, twice the national average.
The problem is expense. Burying power lines can cost $1 million a mile. It also makes any repair a matter of digging.
"People don't understand the consequences of it," said James A. Kelly, vice president for engineering and technical services at Southern California Edison, which is less eager to bury the lines. "It's like using a 20-pound sledgehammer to kill an ant."
Edison is experimenting with less costly options, including poles made from composite materials designed to withstand winds that "are sufficient in some instances to snap wooden poles," Kelly said.
Indeed, the Santa Ana winds remain the primary reason for October's fires. The gusty, dry gales exceeded 100 mph, and blew steadily for so long that they drove fires over terrain that had been thoroughly burned four years earlier.
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In testimony to a Senate panel last month, [a witness urged] ... exploring the burial of power lines in the corridors that Santa Ana winds sweep through.
"Power companies aren't eager to do it because it's expensive," he said. "But given the cost of these fires, I can't believe it's not cost-effective."
And after all that, Keeley said, the public must understand that fires in Southern California are like earthquakes: inevitable.
Link to full article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/23/AR2007122302283.html?hpid=sec-nation