Direct lightning surge analysis in wind turbines using electromagnetic transients computer program

This paper is concerned with direct lightning surge analysis in wind turbines. Portugal has one of the most ambitious goals in terms of wind power, and in 2006 was the second country in Europe with the highest wind power growth. Nevertheless, there are still very few studies in Portugal regarding lightning protection of wind turbines using the electromagnetic transients computer program, namely the most recent and restructured version EMTP-RV. A case study is presented in this paper, based on a wind turbine with an interconnecting transformer, for the analysis of direct lightning surges. Computer simulations obtained by using EMTP-RV software are presented. These computer simulations can be easily customized for parameters characterizing wind turbines or other countries. Finally, conclusions are duly drawn.