Real Time Fault Level Monitor Innovation Presentation

Connecting new generation to the electricity distribution network has never been more critical. As the UK accelerates toward net zero, Distribution Network Operators face a growing and well-documented challenge: fault level headroom on existing networks is finite, and in many locations it is a significant constraint on the connection of new customers, generators and distributed energy resources. Managing that constraint safely and effectively requires accurate information about what is actually happening on the network in real time. Traditional fault level assessment relies on computer modelling. Those models are only as good as the data behind them, and they cannot always reflect the true, dynamic conditions on a live network. Because network safety is paramount, DNOs must apply worst-case assumptions when modelling fault level, and those assumptions can drive the need for network reinforcement even where real-world conditions may offer more headroom. That reinforcement is prudent where the model is the only available tool. But it comes at a cost, in time, in capital, and in connections deferred. This video presents the findings of a collaborative innovation project between SP Energy Networks, UK Power Networks and Outram Research Ltd, progressed through OFGEM's Network Innovation Allowance. The project has developed, trialled and validated a world-first technology: the Real Time Fault Level Monitor, the RTFLM. The RTFLM directly measures Prospective Short-Circuit Current on the live network in as little as 15 seconds, by generating small, controlled perturbations and processing the network response. What follows sets out what was done, how the technology was tested, what the results showed, and what the implications are for network operators and those seeking to connect to the distribution network. The objective is straightforward: to share what this project has learned, so that the wider industry can assess how real-time fault level measurement can support better network management and connection decisions going forward.