AEM Lightning Expert on Severe Weather Risks for Wind Farms

This episode features an insightful discussion with Dr. Elizabeth DiGangi, a Lightning Scientist at AEM, who shares her expertise on severe weather patterns, the findings of the AEM 2023 United States Lightning Report, and the potential impact of storms on wind turbines. Dr. DiGangi provides valuable insights into the formation of tornadoes, hail, and lightning, as well as the measures wind farm operators can take to mitigate risks associated with severe weather. Reach out at  https://aem.eco/contact-us/ ! 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, your go to podcast for the latest insights and discussions on the wind energy industry. I'm your host, Allen Hall, along with my co host, Joel Saxum. The U. S. Heartland has recently experienced a series of severe weather events, including violent tornadoes, intense lightning strikes, and large hail. These extreme conditions pose significant challenges to the wind energy industry, as wind turbines are particularly vulnerable to the forces of nature. We are thrilled to have with us a very special guest, Dr. Elizabeth DiGangi a Lightning Scientist at AEM, and AEM is based in Germantown, Maryland. Dr. DiGangi holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Meteorology from the University of Oklahoma. bringing a wealth of knowledge and expertise to our discussion. In this episode, Dr. Daganji will share her insights on the recent severe weather patterns, the findings of the AEM 2023 United States lightning report, and the potential impact of these storms can have on wind turbines. She will also discuss the measures wind farm operators can take to mitigate the risks associated with severe weather and ensure the longevity and efficiency of their turbines. Turbines, whether you're a wind energy professional, a meteorology enthusiast, or simply interested in the intersection of weather and renewable energy. This episode promises to be both informative and engaging. Join us as we explore the challenges and opportunities presented by severe weather with the wind energy industry with Dr. Elizabeth DiGangi from AEM, Dr. DiGangi. Welcome. Dr. Elizabeth DiGangi: Thank you very much. I'm happy to be here. Allen Hall: You've come at a really good time in a sense and also a really bad time is that there's been so much Horrible weather in the middle of the united states where most of the wind energy is created tornado after tornado and the storm chasers Have been putting a lot of that up on youtube and some of them saw 10 11 tornadoes in an afternoon It looks like movies What drives the quantity of tornadoes, like we just saw is that something special about the storm, or is it just a confluence of independent actions? Dr. Elizabeth DiGangi: It's something special about the storm environment. Whether or not okay, so to start with, the type of storm that produces a tornado has to have, in almost every case unless you're getting little, like dust devil equivalents, a storm that is producing a tornado has a rotating updraft. So the air that goes in and up that's feeding the storm, spins while it goes up. And that helps the storm achieve what we call a quasi steady state. Like it almost behaves like a spinning solid. If you had a cylinder that you were just twirling. There's like a similar kind of analogous physics going on. And that helps these storms persist for a long time.