What happens when a voltage exceeds the designed level for an electrical system?

When a voltage exceeds the designed level for an electrical system, one of the critical responses is that an arrester becomes a path to ground. Arresters are protective devices designed to divert surge voltages to the ground, preventing damage to the electrical system and connected equipment. This feature is crucial during events like lightning strikes or power surges, where excess voltage can threaten to exceed the thresholds that the system can handle.

When the voltage is too high, it can trigger an arrester to conduct, effectively shunting the excess voltage away from the system. This action helps to maintain the integrity of the electrical infrastructure by ensuring that harmful surges do not cause damage to sensitive components or lead to catastrophic failures.

Other choices relate to potential consequences of overvoltage but, in the context of the specific question, the response involving the arrester's function to safely ground excess voltage is pivotal to understanding how electrical systems are protected from damage during voltage surges.