The goal in ground resistance is to achieve the lowest ground resistance value possible, that makes sense economically and physically, when contacting the earth, also known as the soil/ground rod interface.
Ideally, a ground should be zero ohms of resistance, but...
Unfortunately, there is not one standard ground resistance threshold recognized by all certifying agencies.
The NFPA and IEEE recommend a ground resistance value of 5 ohms or less while the NEC has stated to “Make sure that system impedance to ground is less than 5 ohms specified in NEC 50.56. In facilities with sensitive equipment it should be 5ohms or less.”
Copper Earth Rod thermoweld connection at a 33kV Substation in Nakheel, UAE (photo by Muhammad Adnan; Substation Designer via Flickr)
The telecommunications industry has often used 5 ohms or less as their value for grounding and bonding while electric utilities construct their ground systems so that the resistance at a large station will be no more than a few tenths of one ohm.
In general, the lower the ground resistance, the safer the system is considered to be.
Ideally, a ground should be zero ohms of resistance, but...
Unfortunately, there is not one standard ground resistance threshold recognized by all certifying agencies.
The NFPA and IEEE recommend a ground resistance value of 5 ohms or less while the NEC has stated to “Make sure that system impedance to ground is less than 5 ohms specified in NEC 50.56. In facilities with sensitive equipment it should be 5ohms or less.”
Copper Earth Rod thermoweld connection at a 33kV Substation in Nakheel, UAE (photo by Muhammad Adnan; Substation Designer via Flickr)
The telecommunications industry has often used 5 ohms or less as their value for grounding and bonding while electric utilities construct their ground systems so that the resistance at a large station will be no more than a few tenths of one ohm.
In general, the lower the ground resistance, the safer the system is considered to be.