Making a Smart Grid Case: Fault circuit indicators

Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE) started implementing distribution automation (DA) into its distribution system operations since early 2000. With the advances in communications and technology, the number of available DA applications has significantly increased. In order to improve the system reliability, BGE decided to utilize fault circuit indicators (FCIs) as part of its Smart Grid Pilot Program. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the optimization technique that has been developed in order to determine the optimal location for any desired number of fault circuit indicators on the six test feeders, and provide the expected CAIDI values, cost-benefit analysis and discounted cash flow analysis, in order to make a business case for the FCI implementation across the whole system.