No. 1422
	Recent Trends and Suggestions on Lightning Risk Management for Wind Power Systems
	Investigating R&D Committee on Lightning Risk Management Technology for Wind Power Systems
	Keyword : Wind power, Winter lightning, Risk management, Maintenance
	Lightning protection is one of the most important issues for development of wind power in Japan, where serious incidents threating the public safety have occurred in recent years. Since a wind turbine consists various devices, a concept of lightning protection should not only taken in the individual parts but also be harmonized in the whole system. A risk management concept is important to optimise the protections considering the security of public safety, improvement of availability and power factor, and cost-benefit ratio. The main purpose of the present report is to investigate various information from both domestic and international knowledges and experiences, and finally to establish the available protection concept based on the risk management. The main contents of the report are (1) characteristic of locations, weather conditions and damages , (2) generation mechanisms of damages, (3) protection measures in actual turbines, (4) confronting problems for turbine operators , (5) maintenance methods and lightning monitoring systems, (6) a shutdown issue after a lightning strike, (7) insurance, regulations and standards, and (8) risk management methodology. The three-years investigation has concluded with a review on reasonable countermeasures in turbine design and its maintenance from the viewpoint of risk management. An available combination of these measures can lead a systematic methodology that keeps security of public safety and turbine availability and capacity factor. (219 Words)
	©2007. The Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan