One of the questions asked in this year’s P&C survey concerned utility connections (if any) to distributed energy resources (DERs). As shown below, about 56% of respondents indicated having one or more interconnections to DER installations. Another one-third stated that they had no connections to DERs nor any plans for such connections. Eleven percent indicated that the utility plans to implement DER connections by 2026.
Another topic included in this year’s study was to learn more about the methods used, or planned for use, to detect high Impedance Faults (HIFs) on utility distribution systems. As noted in the accompanying table, nearly three quarters (73%) of respondents indicated reliance on customer notifications to detect HIFs. About one quarter (26%) cited the use or relays used in conjunction with HIF detection, while more than one half (53%) stated that the use of relays was a method under consideration for HIF detection. Thirteen percent reported using digital fault monitors, while another 27% were considering use of digital fault monitors. None of the respondents were using mechanical, pole-mounted HIF detectors at the time of the survey, but 20% were considering this method.
summary reviews and highlights from completed studies
