Will reducing voltage drop on the POCO neutral save them money?

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11bgrunt

Pragmatist
Location
TEXAS
Occupation
Electric Utility Reliability Coordinator
We should be able to agree that when the POCO taps a MV three phase line with single phase, the tap neutral is half of the two wire circuit and that voltage drop on the neutral is the cause of neutral to earth voltage (NEV).
Is it plausible that if the utility reduces the grounding resistance at each point along the line where the neutral is bonded to the earth by driven rods, that the voltage drop will be reduced and consequently the NEV will be reduced? If the voltage drop on the neutral is reduced, does this translate to smaller losses and less money spent on delivering the product?
I am promoting ground resistance testing for new POCO construction and if it can get tied to money, I can probably sell it.
 

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GoldDigger

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Location
Placerville, CA, USA
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Retired PV System Designer
Slightly longer answer:

Whether at low voltage or medium voltage, at the distances involved in the POCO neutral, the resistance of the metallic neutral wire will be far lower than practically achievable ground electrode resistances, making any potential improvement very small. And in general it would be less expensive to go to a larger gauge neutral wire than to build exceedingly high quality grounds at both ends of the wire run.

The POCO MGN (Multiply Grounded Neutral) benefits from a large number of individual ground rods along its length. Improving either all or a significant fraction of those rod grounds would be very expensive.
 
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