Utility-wide distributed control system grounding surveys

Grounding of the electronic system is finally moving from a black art to a more recognized science. The IEEE working group for IEEE Std 1050-"Guide for Installation and Control System Grounding in Generating Stations" has been active since the early 1980s. During that time its members have conducted several surveys of grounding practices in the United States as parts of its ongoing development of the guide. Surveys performed by the working group provide some valuable insight into these trends. There have been significant changes in vendor recommendations over the years as well as quite a few industry "lessons-learned". In the evolving world of independent power and merchant power plants, grounding has come to the forefront as not just a complicated technical issue but also a high-dollar legal issue.