Arc faults in medium voltage electrical equipment can be devastating. One of the most feared hazards of the electrical industry, a failure of electrical equipment causing an arc causes astronomical releases of energy, with temperatures exceeding 35,000 degrees.

For an electricity distribution utility, the core directive and core revenue stream is the supply of electricity to end customers. Any interruption to that stream of energy causes an economic loss to the utility. Not only does the interruption hurt a utility customer’s meter readings, but regulators apply their own fines and incentives for utilities to improve their reliability. In much of the world, the only economically viable method for electrifying vast swathes of the countryside is overhead distribution, which is inevitably more subject to reliability issues. Thus, the omnipresent question arises, “How do I improve the reliability of my distribution network?”