
Sentient Energy, a distribution grid solutions provider, announced an upgrade to its Ample Analytics Platform, adding a solution specifically designed to identify ground faults utilizing autonomous line sensors, which the company says improves the accuracy of fault location, calling it a first in the industry.
The capability was initially developed in conjunction with Alabama Power and implemented in a pilot program. Alabama Power has deployed over 2,000 intelligent line sensors and integrated sensor data into its Advanced Distribution Management System (ADMS) to refine distance-to-fault calculations. Sentient Energy says the solution can predict and prevent outages, detect faults, report fault magnitudes, and, now distinguish ground faults.
By placing three autonomous sensors at a location and utilizing the Ample platform to create a “virtual three-phase device,” Sentient Energy says Alabama Power can now identify ground faults exceeding its target accuracy of 85%.
“Until now, line sensing technology was unable to accurately identify ground faults, creating potential errors in distance-to-fault calculations that depended on fault data,” said Bob Karschnia, CEO of Sentient Energy. “Our successful pilot program with Alabama Power is a perfect example of how advanced analytics and sensor data improve the reliability and safety of power distribution. We are thrilled with the success of this pilot and look forward to implementing these technologies on a broader scale to continue improving the reliability and safety of our power grids.”