Abstract

Among the main sources of sustainable energy, wind power has established itself as a symbol of clean renewable energy. However, the installation of wind turbines in windy regions, where lightning strikes are more frequent, has led to growing concerns about their vulnerability to lightning storms. With the rapid expansion of wind farms, attention is increasingly focused on the intrinsic vulnerability of turbines to power surges generated by lightning strikes. With this in mind, this article proposes a comparative transient analysis of four distinct grounding system architectures (designated A, B, C, and D), examined under the influence of two levels of soil resistivity, using RLC equivalent pi-circuit modeling implemented in the MATLAB/Simulink environment. Unlike simplified study diagrams, our approach is distinguished by the representation of each individual conductor using an equivalent pi circuit, which allows us to understand the entire dynamic response of the device to high-frequency transient stresses. It was shown that, in a 2x2 star configuration (model D), the transient impedance values increased compared with other models. Simulation data also confirms that model D has a transient potential value of 70 kV. While model A compact 1x1 grid, has a value of 160 kV for a resistivity of 550 Ωm. In addition, by understanding the critical factor of resistivity, a cost-benefit analysis was used to determine that Model D was the most appropriate configuration of all, as it would reduce material costs while providing effective lightning protection.

Key words: lightning protection system (LPS), Grounding system, transient impedance, lightning, wind turbine.