Method and system for building an electrical grid topology and identifying faults in an electrical grid

Exemplary methods and systems for building an electrical grid topology and detecting faults in an electrical grid are disclosed herein. In an exemplary embodiment, a method for building an electrical grid topology of an electrical grid comprising a plurality of grid elements, the method comprises sending, from a first signaling module of a plurality of signaling modules of the electrical grid, a mapping signal; receiving, at a second signaling module of the plurality of signaling modules, the mapping signal; and deriving, from the mapping signal, grid characteristics of the electrical grid; wherein the grid characteristics are derived from the mapping signal based on the influence that one or more of the plurality of grid elements has on the mapping signal.