New detection system allows power system operators, first responders and utilities to better mitigate the damaging effects of wildfires on human lives and grid infrastructure.
September 15, 2026
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Dr. Roxana Melendez
Dr. Roxana Melendez is an Electrical Engineer and Engineering Project Management Specialist with a Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from Florida Atlantic University. She is an engineering advocate who is passionate about Smart Grids, Microgrids and Electrical Power Systems. She is convinced that the reliable, secure and optimal operation of the grid constitutes one of the main pillars for the development and advancement of communities all over the world.
Roxana was a postdoctoral research fellow at Florida Atlantic University, through the eFellows engineering program administered by the American Society for Engineering Education and funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation. Roxana also has taught at academic institutions such as Florida Atlantic University, University of Texas at Dallas, Palm Beach State College, Collin College, Miami Dade College, and others abroad. She has been working in the engineering field since 2001, worked as an engineering project manager for multiple companies, in Texas, Florida and Colombia, and has taught engineering courses since 2008.
Roxana envisions herself serving the community through the government, providing solutions that will enhance people’s quality of life. Currently, she works at the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Electricity as a General Engineer.
David Howard
David Howard is an Engineer within the Office of Electricity. Mr. Howard has over 25 years of industry and federal government experience in the area of power systems engineering, cybersecurity, R&D, and modeling and analytics. He currently manages the three Phase 1 projects that are addressing advanced protective relaying technologies and tools.
Supporting grid innovation is at the heart of the Office of Electricity (OE)’s mission to keep America’s power grid affordable, reliable, and secure. That’s why groundbreaking grid-related projects that OE funds through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program are worthy of celebrating. That includes an energy-efficient system from small business Delphire, Inc., that rapidly detects and reports fires through visual imagery.
By providing critical data for real-time human confirmation, Delphire’s new automated Sentinel FD3 system detects distant fires within a competitive timeline, often outperforming manual detection methods. The innovative solution achieves rapid detection by combining visible and infrared imagery with air quality and environmental data. By using Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the edge, the system can process this information directly at the source. It also allows customers to request visual updates from any remote site where the technology is deployed. With more accurate detection, power system operators, first responders and utilities can better mitigate the damaging effects to human lives, grid infrastructure, and structures.
All this innovation was made possible through SBIR funding awards in 2021 and 2022 from OE. The journey toward that funding award started when Delphire representatives attended industry events and interacted with utilities interested in the Sentinel system. Today, the Sentinel platform is being deployed within the electric utility industry to enhance power system operators’ local situational awareness to protect their grid infrastructure and their consumers, while reducing wildfire impacts in five states and one U.S. territory.
As Eric Hsieh, Deputy Assistant Secretary for OE’s Systems and Standards Advancement, affirms “Delphire’s success shows how the Office of Electricity’s investments in small businesses keep our grid safer and stronger.”
Dr. Gilberto DeSalvo, CEO of Delphire Inc., expressed that “to other entrepreneurs, SBIR is a great program that will help you perfect and validate the technology before taking it to market.” He further extolled the benefits from SBIR funding by saying, “I think it's fair to say my company wouldn't exist without the SBIR program.” This statement confirms that OE is committed to supporting American small businesses as they develop and commercialize innovative solutions. These efforts drive success for our partners while advancing the OE vision: a seamless, resilient grid, capable of meeting all energy demands, that powers the United States toward a future of energy affordability, reliability, security, and energy dominance.
For more information, see SBIR/STTR programs or send your questions and comments to sbir-sttr@hq.doe.gov.
