What are protective devices that prevent damage to equipment by limiting surge voltages?

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Surge protection is about keeping transient overvoltages from reaching and damaging equipment by providing a controlled path for the excess energy or by clamping the voltage. Lightning arresters are designed for this purpose; they sit between the line and ground and stay non-conductive during normal operation. When a surge, such as from a lightning strike, pushes the voltage beyond a safe level, the arrester conducts and shunts the excess current to ground, effectively clamping the voltage that equipment sees. This direct action of limiting peak surge voltages is what protects equipment from damage. Other options don’t perform this function: surge capacitors influence voltage levels but aren’t safeguards against transient surges; fuses interrupt current during overcurrent events rather than limiting voltage spikes; voltage regulators maintain steady output but are not intended to clamp transient surges to protect circuitry.