INTERVIEW SERIES
BoldMinds
Three questions for Robert Mayer: Stopping the spark before the fire starts
Wildfires are a growing threat – causing severe damage worldwide. Part of these fires is linked to the power grid. But there is a technology that helps mitigate the risk.
In California alone, power lines caused 10 percent of all wildfires between 2016 and 2020 – accounting for 19 percent of all acres burned (California State Auditor). As risk intensifies, utilities require proven wildfire mitigation without compromising supply. Trench Group’s ARCC®, Advanced Residual Current Compensation, was built for exactly that. Known within the industry as REFCL (Rapid Earth Fault Current Limiter), the technology reduces the risk of ignition while keeping the lines online.
Robert Mayer is Head of Technical Sales for ARCC® at Trench Group. Every day, he works at the intersection of climate risk, energy infrastructure, and technology – across three continents, with very different market requirements.
We sat down with Robert to learn more about his role, what makes the ARCC® system so compelling, and what drives him every single day.
Technical Sales in wildfire mitigation – that’s not a career path you find in any textbook. What exactly is your role at Trench Group?
I work with the ARCC® system – Trench Group’s technology to prevent wildfires caused by the grid. Picture an ordinary power line. A tree tips over and touches the line. It creates a path to the ground – and a spark. That’s what we call a phase-to-ground fault. In the worst case, that spark ignites a fire. Our system detects the fault and reduces the energy to a level at which a spark cannot occur. The lines stay online – the fire doesn’t start.
It’s a new technology and for many markets it’s a paradigm shift – changing routines, updating working instructions and retraining personnel. That’s the key challenge. We need to understand what the customer needs and find a solution. Because awareness and needs differ considerably from one market to another. In Australia, they know the product, but not in great depth. In Europe, customers know the basic technology – the focus lies on updating it. And in the US, you’re starting from scratch. So, it’s very diverse. My biggest lesson: listen closely, and try to be a problem solver, not just a sales guy.
BoldMinds
In this series, we shine a spotlight on our employees who bring the motto “Big Energy Powered by Bold People” to life every day.
Follow Us
What is special about working on the ARCC® system at Trench Group?
One of the first things I do in the office is check the wildfire map. When you see what is happening at the moment, you realize that lives are at stake. What we need to understand: not every wildfire is caused by the grid. But when it is, it can cause a lot of damage. Because where the grid is, that’s where people are, that’s where infrastructure is.
What makes working on ARCC® special is that it works. At the six sites in Australia where our systems are installed, there have been no ignitions caused by phase-to-ground faults over the past three years. So, you can really see that the technology is working.
What gets you excited to start your day at Trench Group?
It’s the feeling that I can do something. Wildfires are becoming more dangerous for all of us. There is nothing you can do about a lightning strike or somebody throwing a cigarette into dry grass. But we can be an essential part of keeping the grid safe. We can make a difference.
I also enjoy traveling, meeting new people, even talking to them on Teams, having discussions with them. Not just small talk – but getting into details and really building a network.
The technology is proven – we just need to get it out there.