Live single-line diagram: where should breaker on/off status come from?

[SystemPulse]

We are preparing an energy monitoring project with about 15 analyzers in our main and sub-distribution panels. Management would like a live single-line diagram where breakers change color when they open or close, similar to what I read in your Forschner news.
Our electrical contractor says the analyzers can tell us whether a feeder is "on" because current is flowing. Our maintenance team says we need auxiliary contacts from the breakers. Which approach is correct, and what should we plan for before the panels are modified?

[Technical Support]

Both approaches are used, but they answer different questions, so it's worth deciding before the panel work starts.
Current from the analyzer ("is there load?")
An analyzer measures current, voltage and power. If the current on a feeder is above a small threshold, you can show the feeder as "energized/loaded". This needs no extra wiring. Its limits:
- A closed breaker with no load looks the same as an open breaker.
- Not every feeder has its own analyzer.
Auxiliary contacts ("is the breaker closed?")
A breaker's auxiliary contact (and, if needed, its trip contact) gives the real switching state. These are digital signals, so they have to be brought into the system, for example through a PLC or a digital input module that the monitoring system reads. This is the reliable way to show breaker and disconnector states.
Our recommendation
- Use auxiliary contacts for the breakers that matter for operation: incomers, transformer, generator, PFC panel and coupling breakers.
- Use current-based status for smaller outgoing feeders where an extra signal is not worth the wiring.
- In the diagram, use different colors for "closed and loaded", "closed without load" and "open", so operators are not misled.
In the Forschner Turkey project, the single-line diagram was built as a live diagram rather than a static background: breaker and disconnector states update in real time, active circuits are shown in red, and each panel's measured values appear in its box.
Before modifying the panels
Prepare a list of breakers, which contacts are available, and where the signals will be wired. Send it to us together with the analyzer list; we will check it as part of the project scope and confirm how the digital signals will be read in your setup.
Reference: https://greensoft.ai/news/greensoft-...-line-diagram/