Fault Detection and Prediction in Smart Grids

Modern society is to a larger and larger extent dependant on electric energy, and hence the reliance on and utilization of the electric grid is increasing steadily. At the same time the production and consumption patterns are changing from large centralized generation of electric power and pure consumers to distributed generation (DG) and more complex consumers. This transition causes higher stress on an aging infrastructure and major investments are required over the coming years to maintain a reliable supply of electric energy. Better monitoring solutions and predictive methods can increase the possible utilization of the existing grid and reduce the fault frequency. This paper presents some current challenges in the grid and a possible monitoring solution and fault prediction method. This is exemplified with statistics and field-measurements from the Norwegian power grid