Where Does Grounded Electricity Actually Go?

Published on 2023-08-01 | Archived on 2023-11-22

Grounding is one of the most confusing and misunderstood aspects of the grid.
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Errata:
At 10:40, the meter is set to resistance (not voltage). Since current is constant, it is also an indication of differences in voltage, but the script should have been a little clearer.

Current doesn’t flow to the ground; it flows through the ground and back up. If there is electricity moving into the ground from an energized conductor, go back to the source of that conductor and see what’s happening. For the grid, it’s probably a transformer or electrical generator, in either case, a simple coil of wire. And, the electrical current flowing out of the coil has to be equal to the electrical current flowing into it, whether that current is coming from one of the other phases, a neutral line, or an electrode buried in the ground.

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