Lightning has long presented operational risks to wind turbines deployed in many regions of the US. Taller tip heights, new regions of wind development, and changes in turbine designs have brought the topic to the forefront in recent months – along with a spate of high-profile failures. In this presentation, Natural Power will present quantitative methods to assess lightning risk at a project site, typical commercial and contractual risks, and inspection methods to mitigate these risks. A detailed lightning assessment is not typically included in a project’s suitability review, and thus quantifying this risk largely falls to the developer or other project stakeholder. Natural Power will present the IEC risk assessment approach through case study and will cover other relevant details in the IEC lightning standards. We will also present additional lightning statistics and analysis methods to help further assess lightnings risk. Commercial lightning risks are typically also borne by the developer (or operator) and thus merits specific investigation. Natural Power will introduce common contractual arrangements as they relate to lightning, high-level insurance topics, and related commercial assessment approaches. Finally, Natural Power will present recommended lightning inspection procedures for operating projects. The procedures are based upon damage experience across North America, and are intended to help mitigate both technical and commercial risks. The recommended inspection schedule, methods, input data, criteria, and reporting were developed to balance prompt damage assessment with minimal inspection downtime.
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