Upward flashes to wind turbines during winter observed from space by ISS-LIS and GLM

Abstract:
Wind turbines are tall structures that can self-initiate lightning flashes. In particular, during winter conditions. Although lightning peak currents of upward flashes are usually not very high, the total charge transferred could be significantly dangerous for wind turbines. Data from ground-based lightning location systems have proved to be very valuable in investigating lightning events in wind turbines. Recently, optical lightning detection from space has become available. This work investigates the detections of upward flashes involving wind turbines from space-based systems during winter episodes.