A Lightning Expert’s Opinion on the New IEC Lightning Standard

We decided to re-run one of our most important episodes of the year. The IEC 61400-24 Lightning Protection specification is in the process of being amended. The proposed updated will add more instructions and information for Lightning Detection and Measurement Systems. Lightning monitors are available in a variety of types and sizes. From the basic lightning card to high speed data acquisitions systems with current probes on each blade, the complexity and cost vary from a couple of dollars to upwards of $10k. Do wind turbine operators need expensive lightning monitoring systems? Lightning expert Allen Hall is joined by Chief Commercial Officer, Joel Saxum, as they review the proposed changes and the effect on the wind industry. Sign up now for Uptime Tech News, our weekly email update on all things wind technology. This episode is sponsored by Weather Guard Lightning Tech. Learn more about Weather Guard's StrikeTape Wind Turbine LPS retrofit. Follow the show on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn and visit Weather Guard on the web. And subscribe to Rosemary Barnes' YouTube channel here. Have a question we can answer on the show? Email us! Pardalote Consulting - https://www.pardaloteconsulting.comWeather Guard Lightning Tech - www.weatherguardwind.comIntelstor - https://www.intelstor.com Allen Hall: Welcome to the Uptime Wind Energy Podcast. It is the holiday season. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year. We are taking a well needed break. Joel's vacationing down in Houston. Rosemary's in warm Australia. Phil is in sunny California and I am freezing in Massachusetts. Hopefully you're close to a warm fire and some hot cocoa and family. We're going to replay for you an old episode of the Uptime podcast that you may have missed. So if you're just kicking around the fire, turn on your podcast player and take a listen to this fine episode of the Uptime Wind Energy podcast. Allen Hall: Welcome to the special edition of the Uptime Wind Energy Podcast. And there is some activity in the lightning world in the IEC 61400-24 specification back in a, in Annex L and Annex L is about monitoring of wind turbines for lightning information. And there's a, an amendment being proposed at the minute by the working group with the IEC working group. That is looking to put some more details around lightning monitoring for wind turbines. And I have Joel Saxum here with me, our chief commercial officer at Weather Guard Lightning Tech. And we think it's important that everybody realize that this is happening at the moment and to make sure operators and owners understand the implications of these changes that are being discussed at the IEC level. And what it means in terms of your future operations, your costs some added complexities, if you decide to go down this pathway. Joel Saxum: Yeah, absolutely. So I think we should start with just a little bit of a discussion around the IEC standard and what it means for the industry. IEC standards are things that are adhered to as basically a technical specification. If it's how wind turbines are rated, by what speeds they can take, or how certain things are designed in foundations, or the lightning protection systems, it's what the industry looks to for guidance.  What ends up happening is if you run into, maybe a court case, or something of this sort, this document becomes a partial, basically, expert witness. Did hey party A is suing party B for whatever on their wind turbines, and then this document will almost always come into play in that. Whether it's an insurance case or it's a legal battle of some sort. Hey did you adhere to the IEC standards? So while it isn't technically a law or something that you have to follow as a regulation, it is a pseudo that in the legal world, right? So the, it pops up almost all the time.  All turbines are when they get certified against the IEC standards. To be able to connect to the grids in most countries.