The Role of Root Cause Analysis (RCA) in Power Distribution Network Interruption Reduction

Responsibility and reliability are very important for electricity subscribers. Due to their extent, these networks face a variety of challenges, and most of them are recurring but can be prevented if the root causes are identified. One of the methods to identify the root of network problems is to use the RCA method in the analysis of blackouts. RCA is an approach that systematically investigates adverse events and, by gathering evidence and documentation, finds its root causes and offers solutions to address them. Finally, it monitors the implementation of solutions and evaluates their effectiveness. In this chapter, while introducing some of the challenges of medium voltage power supply networks, the root of the problems are extracted, and corrective solutions are presented in three sample problematic feeders. After extracting the solutions, they are divided into two categories: the first category is the solutions specific to the sample feeder, and the second category is the solutions that can be generalized to other parts of the power supply network.