the Earth is a bad conductor.
So that is why safety codes everywhere require that we drive metal stakes into the ground and connect our electrical systems to them? And that is why lightning bolts seek the earth?
Ground sinks lightning strikes. Makes sure the ground matches local ground so there's no potential. Multi-phase systems don't need to carry much current on the ground anyway because the phase loads are balanced (it's like inter-bank transfers, where they go both ways so most cancel out).
Yeah, and I do realize that lightning is a sudden discharge, and comes under the discussion of 'static' electricity. But the earth can and will conduct some amount of current. That's why we ground our electrical systems for safety to match local potential. We also employ GFI devices to detect ground currents and prevent electrical shocks, etc. Yes, multi-phase systems are most often operated completely "above ground." That is yet another discussion. (I am experienced in the field of electricity and electronics). Sorry, I don't get your banking analogy though. Maybe we should start discussing cryptocurrency lol.
I think it would be unsafe to not have a neutral on power poles, relying on ground, as this would put a high potential into ground. Any resistance of earth would result in a voltage difference.
Banks send money between each other daily. They only need to send the net of such transfers, which tend to cancel out. With a multi-phase system, if you have equal loads one each phase there will be little current on the neutral line, so you can have a thinner neutral conductor.
On the topic of grounding, ground local systems seems of questionable value, e.g. the 240V service to a residence. If it were left ungrounded, it would have no potential with respect to ground, so being grounded and touching hot wouldn't result in any current. I think you could still do GFCI with this, by having those detectors provide a small path from ground to the (floating) hot, to monitor current flow through.
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