Patent ID: 7751166

Claim:
A method for restoring power to loads connected to a first feeder powered by a power source, said first feeder being provided with a plurality of switching devices and at least one master electronic device which is in operative communication with said switching devices and has a plurality of power restoration plans stored therein, the method comprising: upon occurrence of a fault in a zone of said first feeder, isolating the faulted zone from the power source using a first one of said switching devices which is positioned upstream from the faulted zone relative to the power source thereby disconnecting power to loads connected to the faulted zone and non-faulted zones of the first feeder; using the identity of the switching device which is closest to and upstream from the faulted zone relative to the power source, selecting a power restoration plan from the plurality of restoration plans stored in said master electronic device; and in accordance with said restoration plan, outputting instructions from said master electronic device to instruct a second one of said switching devices which is downstream from the faulted zone relative to the power source to operate thereby isolating said faulted zone from loads connected to non-faulted zones of the first feeder which are downstream from the faulted zone relative to said power source outputting instructions from said master controller to one or more of said switching devices other than said first and second switching devices to operate thereby isolating loads connected to non-faulted zones of said first feeder from said one or more additional feeders before connecting non-faulted zones of the first feeder to said one or more additional feeders; and verifying if said one or more of said switching devices other than said first and second switching devices successfully operated thereby isolating loads connected to non-faulted zones of the first feeder from said one or more additional feeders before connecting the non-faulted zones of the first feeder to one or more of said additional feeders.