Lightning protection of turbine generators

At present, it is the general practice to apply lightning protective equipment at the terminals of large unit-connected generators. There is a hesitation on the part of industry to omit protective equipment, even though analysis of the problem indicates that no protection is needed. This is primarily because the cost of the added insurance or protective devices is trivial when compared with the investment in a large machine, the expense of damage to the machine, and the expense of the loss of a large unit of generating capacity.