Effective lightning protection

Lightning strikes are a wind turbine’s worst enemy. Without effective lightning protection, both the blades and the turbine itself can be severely damaged by the powerful energy surges in lightning.

Severe damage

A lightning strike on an unprotected blade can lead to temperature increases of up to 30,000°C and result in an explosive expansion of the air within the blade. This can cause damage to the blade surface, delamination, cracking on both the leading and trailing edge, as well as melted glue. Lightning strikes can also cause hidden damage that over time will result in a significant reduction of the blade’s service life.

Documented protection

LM Wind Power has worked intensively to improve our lightning protection systems ever since 1994, and we now have the safest, most thoroughly tested solution on the market. The system provides the highest level of protection currently possible, known as “protection level 1” according to the international CEI/IEC standards. These state that the blades must be able to withstand 98% of all natural lightning strikes.

We have verified this level of protection via full-scale trials conducted in high-voltage laboratories in Germany and Canada.
More about our comprehensive programme of full-scale tests

LM lightning protection

Close to 70,000 blades have been equipped with protection since the system was introduced.
LM lightning protection is designed to safely and efficiently attract any lightning strike and conduct the energy from it down the wind turbine’s tower via a conductive system within the blade.

LM Receptors intercept lightning

LM Wind Power lightning receptors are designed to attract a lightning strike to specific points and lead it away to the conductive system in the blade. Protecting wind turbine blades against lightning is not about avoiding strikes, but attracting them. This makes it possible to direct the flow of the lightning and ensure that the components exposed to its effects can withstand the forces involved.
LM Wind Power receptors are made of a special tungsten alloy that has excellent conductive qualities and is resistant to intense heat. The surface of most lightning receptors is normally damaged and gradually disintegrates after a lightning strike. This is not true of LM Wind Power lightning receptors, which can withstand multiple lightning strikes before requiring replacement. They are also designed to be quick and easy to replace if necessary.
More about protecting longer blades at LM MultiReceptor system

Conductive system

When lightning strikes a receptor, it must be conducted down the wind turbine’s tower or into the ground. The lightning conductor system consists of a network of cables that lead the lightning current away. The design of this system of cables is crucial because of the need to conduct an enormous amount of electrical current without causing flashover to other conductive materials in the blades. It is also very important that the strong magnetic forces that arise when the current passes through the cables do not damage the blade.
More about quality assurance for lightning conductor systems

Lightning registration cards

LM Wind Power lightning protection includes a magnetic card that registers lightning strikes. During routine service, we use special equipment to read this information. The magnetic cards can be used to assess whether there was any damage to the blades and the rest of the wind turbine following a lightning strike. These cards also provide our experts with valuable information about lightning strikes and their effect on LM blades.

LM Wind Power lightning protection

Read more about LM DrainReceptors, which drain condensation on the blade and protect it against lightning strikes and the latest development in LM DiverterStrips.