STUDY OF THE LIGHTNING IMPACT ON THE WIND-TURBINE

Abstract

Generally, lightning damage has mainly been to home appliances and telephones, Towers and power transmission and generation equipment mal functions and damage due to strikes on power lines. With the adoption of wind power generation equipment, however, lightning damage is also increasing in this area. Through his dimensional characteristics and the wind power system is more exposed in the nature of all others. Lightning damage is the single largest cause of unplanned downtime in wind turbines and that downtime is responsible for the loss of countless megawatts of power generation. Wind turbines are high structures and, like tall towers, they not only attract downward flashes but initiate upward flashes as well. The rotation of the blades may also trigger lightning and result in considerable increase in the number of strikes to a wind turbine unit. Since wind turbines are tall structures, the lightning currents that are injected by return strokes into the turbines will be affected by reflections at the top, at the bottom and at the junction of the blades with the static base of the turbine. We present in this study our contribution to study of the impact of direct and indirect lightning strokes on wind turbines.