National Renewable Energy Laboratory program on lightning risk and wind turbine generator protection
- National Renewable Energy Lab., Golden, CO (United States)
- McNiff Light Industry, Blue Hill, ME (United States)
In the early development of wind turbine generators (WTG) in the United States, wind farms were primarily located in California where lightning activity is the lowest in the United States. As such, lightning protection for wind turbines was not considered to be a major issue for designers or wind farm operators. However, wind turbine installations are expanding into the Midwest, Southwest and other regions of the United States where lightning activity is significantly more intense and lightning damage to wind turbines is more common. There is a growing need, therefore, to better understand lightning activity on wind farms and to improve wind turbine lightning protection systems. In support of the U.S. Department of Energy/Electric Power Research Institute (DOE/EPRI) Utility Wind Turbine Verification Program (TVP), the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has recently begun to take steps to determine the extent of damage due to lightning and the effectiveness of various lightning protection techniques for wind power plants. Working through the TVP program, NREL will also perform outreach and education to (1) help manufacturers to provide equipment that is adequately designed to survive lightning, (2) make sure that operators are aware of effective safety procedures, and (3) help site designers and wind farm developers take the risk of lightning into account as effectively as possible.
- Research Organization:
- American Wind Energy Association, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC36-83CH10093
- OSTI ID:
- 570060
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-970608-PROC.; ON: DE98001975; TRN: 98:001071-0033
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: WindPower `97: annual conference and exhibition of the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), Austin, TX (United States), 15-18 Jun 1997; Other Information: PBD: [1997]; Related Information: Is Part Of Proceedings: American Wind Energy Association; PB: 636 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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