Effective lightning protection for wind turbine generators

A wind turbine generator,is the most exposed of all types of generators connected to electric utility systems. Wind turbines are most often erected in hostile lightning environments. Lightning damage to wind turbines is costly in terms of repair and replacement of equipment. 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. There is currently no international standard governing wind turbine lightning protection. This paper offers guidelines for effective protection.