ABSTRACT
Lightning, one of the most spectacular events of Mother Nature, started to appear significantly demystified after Franklin showed its electric nature with his famous electrical kite experiment in 1752. Although a great deal of research on lightning followed Franklin’s observation, lightning continues to be a topic of considerable interest for investigation (Uman, 1969, 1987). This is particularly true for the improved design of electric power systems, since lightning-caused interruptions and equipment damage during thunderstorms stand as the leading causes of failures in the electric utility industry. It is prudent to state that in spite of the impressive amount of lightning research conducted mostly during the last 50 years, the physics of the phenomenon is not yet fully understood. The development of powerful digital recorders with enough bandwidth to capture the microstructure of lightning waveforms and the advent of digital computers and fiber optic communication along with sophisticated direction finding sensors during this period facilitated the extraordinary evolution of lightning monitoring and detection techniques. This allowed for a more accurate description of lightning and the characterization of lightning parameters that are relevant for power system protection.
