ground wire between main and sub panels

[zenman]

As I understand ground wires, the goal is to have a short wire with few bends from a panel into the ground. My main panel has a copper ground stake and I'm installing a 100A subpanel in a detached garage which will also have a ground stake.

What is the benefit of the ground wire in the 2-2-2-2/4 cable connected between the two panels? It seems counter productive to me, almost dangerous. If there is a lightning strike nearby and the power travels up through the stake into one of the two panels, it's going to travel through the 2-2-2-2/4 wire into the other panel and back into the ground potentially destroying equipment in both locations.

Am I misunderstanding something?

 

[charlie b]

Am I misunderstanding something?

There is a great deal that you misunderstand. The purpose of a ground rod and the difference between bonding and grounding are two of them. Another is this forum's rule that prohibits us from assisting persons who are not electricians but who clearly intend to perform their own electrical installation work. In accordance with that rule, I am closing this thread.