Protection of Wind Electrical Power Energy Systems Against Indirect Lightning Strike Surge

Wind energy as a clean/green resource offers many advantages. The supply of wind power is unlimited and cannot be depleted. In order to reach the highest efficiency, the wind turbines are usually installed on the hills and flat areas. Therefore, they are subjected to the direct and indirect lightning strikes. Overvoltage of these surges can lead to the serious injuries to the different parts of the wind turbine as well as the electrical and control systems. This paper aims to model all parts of wind turbine involved in this transient phenomena such as tower, blade, coaxial cable, control system and considering accurate and frequency-dependent model for the ground system. The overvoltages caused by indirect lightning strike have been simulated using EMTP-RV. The influence of overvoltages resulting from indirect surges on control systems as the most sensitive part has been deeply investigated.