Mike Hage new member Lightning?

[windybob]

[Ron Stauffer]

Mike

You are talking two different animals - a wincharger/turbine and a windmill. A wind charger/turbine whether off grid or grid tie is under the eyes of the National Electric Code (NEC) and is considered equipment same as a generator, solar panels etc. For NEC, all equipment has an equipment ground. Not only does it have an equipment ground but the grounding conductor should also be bonded to the grounding conductor of the endpoint of the DC or AC final load of the wind turbine.

Lightning will take it's easiest path and hopefully it is to ground. I had an off grid solar & wind system that took a strike on the wind turbine and tower. It was properly grounded and sustained no damage. The owner had installed a TV antennae about 20' down from the top of the wind tower and it was physically bonded to the tower but the signal was isolated out to the feed to the TV. No damage to the TV but the bottom two VCR/audio components tied to the TV that were not tied to any grounding were melted.

Multiple grounding points can introduce difference of potential which can make lightning or ground faults loop which is also not good. One single common ground is best. The exception they make locally is if equipment grounds are needed more than 200' from the common grounding point

Ron Stauffer
Montrose CO

[Wayne]

Scared the eggs right out of her!

[Smax]

Lightning struck this tower causing a lightning track run down the legs and across the girts .the only thing I can figure was the tree next to it had something to do with . the tree was also damaged

FB_IMG_1596134982455.jpg

in

[Wayne]

When I lived in Smith Co Texas Lighting struck two trees in the neighbors yard several years apart. When one of them was struck it blew a chunk of wood into my yard about 150 yds away. Far as I know non of my mills ever were struck.

[windybob]

Now that's an interesting track. Looks like it melted the galvanizing.