What are the components of a grounding system?

The components of a grounding system are essential for ensuring safety and proper electrical function. The correct answer highlights three critical components: the grounding electrode, grounding conductor, and equipment grounding.

The grounding electrode serves as the physical connection to the earth, providing a pathway for electrical currents to safely dissipate into the ground during fault conditions or lightning strikes. This reduces the risk of electric shock and equipment damage.

The grounding conductor connects the grounding electrode to the electrical system. It ensures that any fault current has a low-resistance path to earth, enabling protective devices to operate effectively and quickly disconnect the faulty circuit.

Equipment grounding is crucial for safety, as it connects the non-current-carrying metal parts of electrical equipment to the grounding system. This ensures that if a fault occurs and voltage is inadvertently applied to the equipment casing, the electrical current will be directed to the ground instead of posing a shock hazard to users.

Together, these components form a grounding system that enhances system integrity, safety, and reliability, making option A the correct choice.