What distinguishes a solidly grounded system from other grounding methods?

A solidly grounded system is characterized by directly connecting the neutral conductor to the ground. This direct connection ensures that in the event of a fault, such as a short circuit, the fault current can flow directly to ground without any impediments. This allows for effective fault clearing by overcurrent protective devices, ensuring safety and system reliability.

The direct connection reduces the ground potential rise in the system during a fault condition and minimizes the risk of shock hazards to people and equipment. It also facilitates quick detection of ground faults, as the low-impedance path allows for larger fault currents that can trip protective devices quickly.

Other grounding methods, such as using grounding resistors or relying on high impedance, do not provide the same level of fault current management and may not achieve the same rapid response in fault situations. Similarly, while using a separate grounding rod may be part of some grounding systems, it is not a distinguishing feature of solidly grounded systems.