One of the fundamental tasks of electric distribution utilities is guaranteeing a continuous
supply of electricity to their customers. The primary distribution network is a critical part of these
facilities because a fault in it could affect thousands of customers. However, the complexity of
this network has been increased with the irruption of distributed generation, typical in a Smart
Grid and which has significantly complicated some of the analyses, making it impossible to apply
traditional techniques. This problem is intensified in underground lines where access is limited. As a
possible solution, this paper proposes to make a deployment of a distributed sensor network along
the power lines. This network proposes taking advantage of its distributed character to support new
approaches of these analyses. In this sense, this paper describes the aquiculture of the proposed
network (adapted to the power grid) based on nodes that use power line communication and energy
harvesting techniques. In this sense, it also describes the implementation of a real prototype that
has been used in some experiments to validate this technological adaptation. Additionally, beyond
a simple use for monitoring, this paper also proposes the use of this approach to solve two typical
distribution system operator problems, such as: fault location and failure forecasting in power cables.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Government of Spain project Sistema Inteligente Inalámbrico para Análisis y Monitorización de Líneas de Tensión Subterráneas en Smart Grids (SIIAM) TEC2013-40767-RMinisterio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte, Government of Spain, for the funding of the scholarship Formación de Profesorado Universitario 2016 (FPU 2016
