Indirect effects of lightning on wind turbines using EMTP-RV

Abstract

This paper is concerned with the protection of wind turbines against the indirect effects of lightning. Lightning damages involving wind turbines have come to be regarded with increasing concern. The wind power generation is rapidly growing in Portugal, but still there are few studies regarding the lightning protection of wind turbines using models of the Electro-Magnetic Transients Program (EMTP). Hence, a case study is presented in this paper, based on a wind turbine with an interconnecting transformer, considering that lightning strikes the soil near the tower. Computer simulations are provided by using the recently restructured version of EMTP, EMTP-RV, highlighting the need for adequate protection measures.