Distribution line performance with imperfect grounding

The effects of ground contact resistance on the performance of overhead distribution lines are reviewed. Ground contact resistance is not negligible in many situations involving dry or rocky soil, for example, and can effect distribution lines with respect to customer voltage, losses under unbalanced loading, and neutral potential. It can also affect the voltages and currents that will be encountered by telephone, television, or other service cables that share electric distribution poles. The results presented are intended both to be tutorial, in pointing out effects that exist but are not recognized in routine calculation work, and to supplement the sparse fund of documentation on the numerical values associated with these effects