On the use of data from distributed measurement systems for correlating voltage transients to lightning

Voltage transients are the main causes of complaints from medium-voltage customers. For this reason, utilities and independent authorities are focusing their attention on investigation techniques capable of providing information useful for classifying voltage transients depending on their origin. Distributed measurement systems for power quality monitoring able to detect, measure, and classify impulsive transients can be used in coordination with lightning location systems to assess whether there is a relation between a given transient and a lightning event. In this paper, a criterion for evaluating the above correlation is proposed and a numerical example, which is based on real accuracy specifications, is presented. The results show that attempting a correlation between lightning events and induced transients is quite reasonable.