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Distribution Grid Courses

Free, problem-first lessons on how the distribution grid works and the equipment that runs it. No account needed.

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10 courses
beginner Foundation

Utility Regulation and Grid Ownership

Learn who owns and operates the electric grid -- investor-owned utilities, cooperatives, and municipal systems -- plus how FERC, NERC, and state PUCs divide jurisdiction. 5 lessons, free.

5 lessons ~1 hr
beginner Foundation

AC Power Fundamentals: Ohm's Law, Power Factor, and Percent Impedance

Ohm's law, RMS voltage, kW vs kVAR vs kVA, power factor, the root-3 wye/delta factor, and percent impedance explained for distribution engineers and buyers. 8 lessons, free.

8 lessons ~2 hrs
beginner Safety

Electrical Field Safety: Arc Flash, LOTO, and OSHA Qualified Worker Rules

Qualified-person requirements, minimum approach distances, arc-flash labels, lock-out/tag-out, rubber goods, and the two-person rule for distribution line work. NFPA 70E and OSHA coverage. 9 lessons, free.

9 lessons ~2 hrs
beginner Foundation

Distribution Grid Fundamentals: How the Electric Grid Is Built and Protected

How the distribution grid is built, powered, and protected -- from substation to meter. The working fundamentals every buyer and new engineer needs before touching equipment specs. 9 lessons, free.

9 lessons ~2 hrs
intermediate Operations

Reading Single-Line Diagrams and ANSI Device Numbers

Read single-line diagrams top to bottom, decode ANSI/IEEE C37.2 device numbers (50, 51, 79, 86, 87T), and distinguish SCADA from DMS, OMS, ADMS, and AMI. 7 lessons, free.

7 lessons ~1.5 hrs
intermediate Equipment

Distribution Transformer Sizing, Selection, and Procurement

Read a transformer nameplate, size a unit for a load, compare designs, analyze losses, and understand lead times. Everything a buyer or engineer needs to specify distribution transformers. 6 lessons, free.

6 lessons ~1 hr
intermediate Standards

Electrical Codes and Standards: NESC, NEC, IEEE, ANSI, and NERC

Given any situation, identify which code governs: NESC vs NEC service-point boundary, ANSI C84.1 voltage ranges, IEEE C57/C37/C62 equipment families, BIL coordination, and NERC reach. 5 lessons, free.

5 lessons ~1 hr
intermediate Equipment

Distribution Equipment: Conductors, Switchgear, Fuses, Capacitors, and Metering

Overhead conductors and ampacity, URD cable, fuse cutouts, voltage regulators, capacitor banks, surge arresters, padmount switchgear, and revenue metering. The buyer's distribution equipment reference. 10 lessons, free.

10 lessons ~2 hrs
advanced Operations

Protection Coordination: Relays, Reclosers, Fuses, and TCC Analysis

Fault types, relay/recloser/fuse hierarchy, ANSI 50/51 overcurrent, TCC plot analysis, fuse melt and clearing curves, coordination time intervals, and short-circuit estimates. 10 lessons, free.

10 lessons ~2 hrs
intermediate Operations

Load, Voltage Drop, and Reliability Indices

Load factor, diversity and demand factors, feeder thermal limits, voltage drop vs ANSI C84.1, regulators and CVR, and computing SAIDI/SAIFI/CAIDI/MAIFI from an outage log. 7 lessons, free.

7 lessons ~1 hr

About this resource

DistroForge Learn is a set of free, self-paced courses on how the electric distribution grid works and the equipment that runs it. The courses cover 10 tracks and 76 lessons, written in plain language for people early in their utility careers. No account or sign-up is needed, and there is no cost. The material is published by DistroForge LLC, an electrical distribution market-intelligence firm. Educators and training programs are welcome to link to these lessons or use them with students. To reference the material, link to https://distroforge.com/learn and name it DistroForge Learn.

Suggested citation DistroForge Learn, DistroForge LLC. https://distroforge.com/learn

For educators and training programs

The lessons teach the fundamentals. The Feeder tracks what changes: lead times, supplier moves, program intel.