- #1
greypilgrim
- 547
- 38
Hi.
I fear I might not have understood some fundamental concepts about electric power transmission. So we have "neutral" which is brought to Earth potential. Does this mean the electrical circuit from the power plant over highly conductive aluminium cables to my home closes back to the power plant through ground? I'd assume (dry) soil should have huge electrical resistance, is this wrong?
I also read that the first transatlantic telegraph cable from 1858 was just a single electrical wire and the circuit was closed through ground across the ocean, which I find equally hard to believe.
Am I missing something here? Is Earth a much better conductor than I thought? Or doesn't there have to be a physical current if ground at my home is at the same potential as it is at the power plant?
I fear I might not have understood some fundamental concepts about electric power transmission. So we have "neutral" which is brought to Earth potential. Does this mean the electrical circuit from the power plant over highly conductive aluminium cables to my home closes back to the power plant through ground? I'd assume (dry) soil should have huge electrical resistance, is this wrong?
I also read that the first transatlantic telegraph cable from 1858 was just a single electrical wire and the circuit was closed through ground across the ocean, which I find equally hard to believe.
Am I missing something here? Is Earth a much better conductor than I thought? Or doesn't there have to be a physical current if ground at my home is at the same potential as it is at the power plant?