Power line conductors are normally shielded from direct lightning strikes by appropriately placed overhead ground wires. However, even when such overhead ground wires work as intended and intercept a strike, for a short period of time, typically a few microseconds, the shield wire is exposed to an impulse type potential rise. This could be sufficient to cause flashover of one or more line insulator strings. This is called backflash. The present invention solves this problem by providing a power transmission tower structure with an embedded ground conductor positioned in order to optimize the coupling factors to all conductors and reduce stress on all insulator strings through increased electromagnetic coupling. Use of a streamer-inhibited conductor avoids adverse effects such as radio interference and audible noise due to induced charges and improves electromagnetic coupling as a result of the reduced surge impedance of the conductor.

Power line conductors are normally shielded from direct lightning strikes by appropriately placed overhead ground wires. However, even when such overhead ground wires work as intended and intercept a strike, for a short period of time, typically a few microseconds, the shield wire is exposed to an impulse type potential rise. This could be sufficient to cause flashover of one or more line insulator strings. This is called backflash. The present invention solves this problem by providing a power transmission tower structure with an embedded ground conductor positioned in order to optimize the coupling factors to all conductors and reduce stress on all insulator strings through increased electromagnetic coupling. Use of a streamer-inhibited conductor avoids adverse effects such as radio interference and audible noise due to induced charges and improves electromagnetic coupling as a result of the reduced surge impedance of the conductor.

A grounding system for a solar power generation facility includes a number of conductive mounting assemblies and a tension member in the form of a cable. A cable coupling of each of the conductive mounting assemblies is structured to engage and clamp the cable. The cable and each of the cable couplings has a conductivity level that is greater than a conductivity level of steel or galvanized steel, and the cable alone and respective combinations of the cable and each one of the cable couplings are each structured to provide at least a portion of a respective grounded current path of the grounding system that will be coupled to current wires and cable hangers that are supported by the cable.

A grounding system for a solar power generation facility includes a number of conductive mounting assemblies and a tension member in the form of a cable. A cable coupling of each of the conductive mounting assemblies is structured to engage and clamp the cable. The cable and each of the cable couplings has a conductivity level that is greater than a conductivity level of steel or galvanized steel, and the cable alone and respective combinations of the cable and each one of the cable couplings are each structured to provide at least a portion of a respective grounded current path of the grounding system that will be coupled to current wires and cable hangers that are supported by the cable.