BGE Grid Reliability & Infrastructure 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: During a major storm event, BGE prioritizes restoration in which order?
- Alphabetical by street name
- Transmission → distribution substations → feeders → individual services (Correct answer)
- Residential before commercial at all times
- Smallest outages first to maximize restored customer count
Correct answer: Transmission → distribution substations → feeders → individual services
BGE follows a systematic priority: restore transmission, then distribution substations, then feeders serving critical facilities, then individual services.
Question 2: What is an Underground Residential Distribution (URD) cable's main advantage over overhead lines?
- Lower installation cost
- Higher voltage capacity
- Greater resistance to weather-related outages (Correct answer)
- Easier fault location
Correct answer: Greater resistance to weather-related outages
Underground cables are shielded from wind, ice, and tree contact, making them far less susceptible to storm-related outages compared to overhead lines.
Question 3: A substation transformer has an OLTC (On-Load Tap Changer). What does this device do?
- Disconnects the transformer under overload
- Adjusts transformer turns ratio without de-energizing to regulate voltage (Correct answer)
- Monitors oil temperature continuously
- Limits fault current to downstream equipment
Correct answer: Adjusts transformer turns ratio without de-energizing to regulate voltage
An OLTC allows operators to change the transformer tap position while it is energized and loaded, enabling voltage regulation without an outage.
Question 4: BGE is part of which regional transmission organization (RTO)?
- MISO
- ERCOT
- PJM Interconnection (Correct answer)
- SPP
Correct answer: PJM Interconnection
BGE operates within the PJM Interconnection, the RTO that coordinates wholesale electricity markets and grid reliability for the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions.
Question 5: What is the purpose of a sectionalizer on a distribution circuit?
- Continuously regulate voltage
- Count fault current pulses and open automatically after a recloser locks out (Correct answer)
- Provide reactive power compensation
- Measure customer energy consumption
Correct answer: Count fault current pulses and open automatically after a recloser locks out
A sectionalizer counts the number of fault-current pulses from an upstream recloser and opens after a preset count, isolating the faulted section without interrupting unfaulted sections.
Question 6: Which condition most commonly triggers a thermal overload alarm on a distribution transformer?
- Low power factor at the substation
- Customer load exceeding the transformer's kVA nameplate rating (Correct answer)
- Lightning striking nearby transmission lines
- Excessive reactive power from capacitor banks
Correct answer: Customer load exceeding the transformer's kVA nameplate rating
Thermal overload occurs when customer demand exceeds the transformer's kVA rating, causing excessive heat buildup that can shorten insulation life and lead to failure.
Question 7: What does 'load shedding' mean in the context of grid reliability emergencies?
- Moving load from one feeder to another
- Deliberately de-energizing portions of the network to prevent system collapse (Correct answer)
- Shedding ice from transmission lines in winter
- Reducing transformer tap position under heavy load
Correct answer: Deliberately de-energizing portions of the network to prevent system collapse
Load shedding is the intentional disconnection of customer load to reduce system stress and prevent a wider, uncontrolled blackout during a grid emergency.
BGE Grid Reliability & Infrastructure 3
During a major storm event, BGE prioritizes restoration in which order?