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<br />vii. Stray Voltage: <br /> <br />This unusual phenomenon, primarily <br />affecting farm livestock, is the result of <br />faulty wiring on any number of electrical <br />systems (not just wind turbines) and <br />easily prevented by industry-standard <br />practices. It is also a strictly localized <br />issue thqt will not affect off-site parties <br />or properties. <br /> <br />For safety reasons, including to <br />minimize lightning strikes (see above), <br />nearly all types of electrical systems in <br />the u.s. are, at some point in the <br />system, connected to the earth or <br />"grounded." Electric current flowing in <br />the ground dissipates quickly as it <br />moves away from its source (much like <br />sound from a witJd turbine). Grounding <br />also allows power systems to detect <br />equipment malfunctions and <br />automatically shut down before <br />harming people or equipment. <br /> <br />If a system is not properly wired, the <br />point(s) at which a system is grounded <br />can develop a small voltage (electrical <br />pressure, essentially) that can push <br />current through the earth and end up <br />contacting unintended objects. Hence <br />the name, "stray" voltage. This <br />phenomenon is rare and primarily <br />affects cattle, whose legs are far enough <br />apart to stand on two points where <br />different voltage levels in the ground <br /> <br />exist. The cow mayor may not feel <br />this voltage difference, depending on <br />the level and duration of the exposure. <br /> <br />While the design 'of electrical system <br />makes stray voltage possible, its actual <br />'. occurrence is the result of poor <br />grounding practices, improper or <br />inadequate wiring, or deteriorated wire <br />insulation. Most small wind turbine <br />inverters - those that are IEEE 1547 or <br />UL1741 compliant - can detect faulty . <br />grounding and automatically shut down <br />current flow. Like solar photovoltaic <br />installations that require "ground-fault <br />circuit interrupter" (GFCI) devices to <br />protect consumers from any stray <br />voltage, small wind turbines are also <br />equipped with GFCI measures. <br /> <br />In other words, stray voltage is caused <br />by problems on a particular customer's <br />side of the utility billing meter so is not <br />a problem beyond the electrical system <br />of a particular home or farm. Nor can <br />stray voltage move or be transferred <br />from one property to another, since it <br />is an "on-site" problem stemming from <br />electricity distribution or wiring, not <br />the generation of electricity. The issue <br />therefore does not fall under the <br />jurisdiction of zoning rules, which are <br />designed to protectthat which exists <br />outside a property line. <br /> <br />