Every year on the Indian subcontinent, our eagerly awaited monsoon showers bring with them the danger of lightning. These jagged lightning strikes are dangerous when they strike homes, office buildings or even open fields where farmers, rural labourers or cattle graziers may be working. That’s the reason everyone should have lightning protection in buildings.
Reports have shown that up to 150 people have died in a span of only 10 days in Bihar with the expectation that extreme weather conditions due to climate change may exacerbate the issue. As per Bihar’s Disaster Management Minister Lakshmeshwar Rai, “I was informed by weather experts, scientists and officials that rising temperatures due to climate change is the main cause behind the increasing lightning strikes”.
Scientific studies have shown that Lightning is the leading cause of death from natural disasters in India with somewhere between 2,000 to 5,000 deaths per year due to Lightning. Protecting human lives is the most important reason why Lightning Protection needs to be of utmost importance to the country.
The most common form of Lightning Protection in buildings and homes are an External Lightning Protection System consisting of air termination rods, conductors and earthing. These systems help protect the building from many of the physical damages caused by Lightning.
India has become an IT and BPO hub for the world with some of the largest IT companies in the world with headquarters or large offices in the country. This implies a huge surge in the number of data centres, servers, computers, telecommunication equipment and other sensitive electronic equipment over the past few decades. Even smaller businesses, hospitals and schools have electronic equipment and data storage requirements.
In addition to the danger to human lives, Lightning also poses a significant danger to this sensitive equipment which can be easily disrupted due to the electrical surges caused by lightning. Structural External Lightning Protection may protect the building and its inhabitants from lightning but it will not protect the electronic equipment inside from a transient overvoltage. To protect this sensitive equipment, we require another layer of Lightning Protection called Internal Lightning Protection which involves Surge Protection Devices (SPD’s) and Equipotential Bonding.
The external and internal lightning protection systems work together to intercept the lightning, conduct it to the earth and finally disperse the current into the earth. This system allows the people and equipment within the structure to operate with minimal risk.
Assessing, designing and finally constructing a safe and reliable Lightning Protection System is not an easy task. It requires many measurements, calculations, and experience to execute perfectly. In addition to the products and 25 years of experience that Axis offers, we also offer a software suite that will help simplify all your lightning protection calculations so that you can put your head towards providing the best service for your clients. Axis can also help you with the entire process from Step 1 of Risk Assessment to Lightning Protection System Design and all the way through the supply of internationally approved products. Our engineers will be on the field with you to make sure that they provide the most precise protection for your structure!
For more information on our Software Solutions or our Risk Assessment and System Design, please contact us!
This article is part of our series of articles on Lightning Protection, Surge Protection & Earthing, you can read more with the following links:
Surge Protection Devices (SPD)
Lightning Protection Zones and their Application to SPD Selection
How does a Lightning Arrester work?
For more information, please contact us at axis-india.com/contact-us/
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