Lightning Protection of WT Grounding Systems: A Comprehensive Review of Time-Frequency Effects and Modeling Techniques

Document Type : Review article

Authors

Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Razi University, Kermanshah, 6714414971, Iran‎.‎

10.61882/jgeri.3.2.36
Abstract
This study reviews approaches and models for wind turbines (WT) and tower grounding systems and their protection against lightning, based on a core set of approximately sixty ‎‎(~60) grounding-focused scientific articles. This article also deals with various aspects such as the dependence of electrical properties of soil on frequency, the effect of ionization, heterogeneity and classification of soil and the optimal position of electrodes as well as the connection arrangements of WTs in a field. This review also deals with the effects of direct and indirect lightning on turbines, voltage distribution between turbines and the behavior of the earth system at different frequencies. At the end, the points in the reviewed articles are in the form of diagrams for a better understanding of the various topics discussed and a comprehensive view. This work shows the limitations and study gaps of previous works with recommendations for the evolution of lightning protection systems for WTs and tall electrical structures.‎‎

Highlights

The study reviews lightning protection approaches for wind turbines and towers.
It analyzes soil properties, electrode placement, and turbine connections.
Research gaps and recommendations for improved protection systems are identified. 

Keywords


Declaration of Competing Interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. The ethical issues, including plagiarism, informed consent, misconduct, data fabrication and/or falsification, double publication and/or submission, redundancy, have been completely observed by the authors.

 

Credit Authorship Contribution Statement

Omid Heydari: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Software, Validation, Writing - original draft.  Hassan Moradi Cheshmehbeigi: Data curation, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Supervision, Writing-review & editing. Shahram Karimi: Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Project administration, Resources, Supervision, Writing-review & editing. Hamdi AbdiConceptualization, Funding acquisition, Methodology, Supervision, Validation, Writing-original draft.


Bibliography

Omid Heydari
was born in 1988 in the city of Ilam, Iran. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the Islamic Azad University of Arak in 2011, followed by a Master’s degree in Power Electrical Engineering from the University of Ilam in 2017. Since 2019, he has been a Ph.D. student in Electrical Engineering at Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran. His academic interests are mainly focused on research and development in the field of lightning protection systems, particularly for electrical equipment such as wind turbines. His research activities aim to improve the reliability and protection of power and renewable energy systems against lightning-related hazards.

Hassan Moradi Cheshmehbeigi
is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran, where he has been a faculty member since 2011. He was born in Kermanshah, Iran, in 1979 and completed his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran, earning his degree in 2011 before joining Razi University’s academic staff. At Razi University, Dr. Moradi teaches undergraduate and graduate courses and actively conducts research in key areas of electrical engineering, with particular emphasis on power systems, electrical machines, power electronics, microgrids, and advanced control strategies for modern energy systems. His research contributions include numerous peer-reviewed journal and conference publications focused on topics such as microgrid stability and control, HVDC systems, electromagnetic design of electric machines, power converter control, and energy system optimization, reflecting his extensive engagement with both theoretical and applied aspects of electrical engineering. Dr. Moradi’s work has been widely cited in the academic community, and he collaborates with researchers nationally and internationally to advance innovative solutions in power and energy engineering.

Shahram Karimi
is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran. He was born in Kermanshah, Iran, in 1972. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Tabriz in 1995, followed by a Master’s degree from Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, in 1997. He earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Université Henri Poincaré (Nancy I), France, in 2008. After completing his doctoral studies, he joined Razi University, where he has been actively involved in teaching and research in the field of electrical engineering. His main research interests include power systems analysis and control, microgrids, voltage and frequency control, power quality, renewable energy integration, FACTS devices, and fault-tolerant power converters. Dr. Karimi has published numerous research papers in reputable national and international journals and conferences and has contributed significantly to the development of advanced control and optimization methods for modern power and energy systems.

Hamdi Abdi
was born in Paveh, Iran, in July 1973. He received the B.Sc. degree from Tabriz University, Tabriz, Iran, in 1995, and the M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran, in 1999 and 2006, respectively, all in electrical engineering. He is currently a Full Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran. His research interests include power system operation and planning, smart energy systems, uncertainty management, and energy hub.

Citation
O. Heydari, H. Moradi, S. Karimi, and H. Abdi, "Lightning Protection of WT Grounding Systems: A Comprehensive Review of Time-Frequency Effects and Modeling Techniques," Journal of Green Energy Research and Innovation, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 36-64, 2026.

[3]  Wind Turbines – Part 24: Lightning Protection, IEC 61400-24, International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), 2010.
Volume 3, Issue 2
Spring 2026
Pages 36-64

  • Receive Date 27 September 2025
  • Revise Date 26 December 2025
  • Accept Date 01 February 2026
  • Publish Date 01 June 2026