Analysis of the Characteristics and Impact of Lightning on Smart Substations

Smart substations are an integral part of a smart grid. There are different new smart devices and components in the key systems of the substations. In order to study the impact of lightning to smart substations, simulation modeling will be used to analyze the damages caused by lightning and the lightning protection level. According to the analysis, the impact of lightning to smart substations differs from that to conventional substations in the following three aspects: the number of cables is reduced; there are short cables; and there are smart devices at the outdoor switching station. According to the calculation for an 110kV smart substation, high-amplitude lightning directly striking lightning rods is the main cause of disruption to the devices of smart substations; the impact of low amplitude lightning to smart substations will be considered only when it strikes smart substations of 500kV or higher; where there are line arresters and intact metal shells, the lightning intruding surge and inductive lightning will not affect the equipment of the station.