Considering the Methods of Lightning Protection and Early Warning for Power Transmission Lines Based on Lightning Data Analysis

The lightning discharges generated by lightning strikes can reach several hundred kiloamperes, causing significant electromagnetic, mechanical, and thermal effects. These effects induce extremely high overvoltages in power transmission systems, leading to the tripping of transmission lines. Therefore, the study of lightning protection and early warning methods is crucial for safeguarding transmission lines. However, previous research in the realm of active lightning protection has been limited, focusing either solely on assessing the risk of lightning-induced tripping on the power grid side or merely predicting the patterns of lightning activity on the disaster side. This paper proposes a novel method for lightning protection and early warning of power transmission lines based on the analysis of lightning data. It encompasses both the risk of lightning-induced tripping of transmission lines on the grid side and the hazards of real-time lightning activities on the disaster side. In the warning phase, the method extensively mines historical lightning location data and, based on predictions of thunderstorm cloud movement trajectories, determines if thunderstorm clouds are nearing tightly packed transmission corridors. It then assesses whether these clouds present a high-risk storm or are approaching transmission lines with low lightning protection capabilities, subsequently integrating these findings to issue a continuous lightning-induced trip warning. In a case study conducted in a certain part of northern China, the proposed continuous lightning strike trip warning method achieved an accuracy rate of 80% for transmission corridors of particular interest to power grid companies’ dispatch departments, enhancing the efficiency of warnings and reducing false alarms and missed reports.