Conference archive

The IVth International Research Conference on Lightning Protection held May 27-29, 2014 in St. Petersburg hosted 169 scholars and experts.

Of main concern at the Conference were the physics of lightning and the features of thunderstorm activity, as well as active control actions over lightning, secondary manifestations of ground and inter-cloud lightning strikes and protective means. The work of one of the sections referred to the lightning strikes parameters, their recording and application in practical lightning protection.

A number of reports were addressed to the issues of lightning protection of power facilities and operational experience. Several speakers presented works dedicated to various means of lightning protection - protective tools, grounding devices, and insulation. A separate section included the reports on instruments and methods for investigating thunderstorm activity and lightning parameters.

Following the Conference, the reports, illustrating the diversity of issues, solutions, problems, challenges of science and practice facing modern scholars engaged in research on lightning physics, as well as manufacturers of lightning protection means and operating companies were published.

The Conference participants and guests noted a high level of the discussion focused on the critical evaluation of the reports, as well as an excitable, creative, and real scientific live atmosphere that persisted within three days of the Conference.

The members of the Scientific Committee noted the importance of the Conference for developing the science-to-business relations as well as the international and domestic network of lightning protection professionals.

The V Russian Conference on Lightning Protection took place on May 17-19, 2016 in Saint-Petersburg. The event was organized by Streamer Inc., Russian Academy of Sciences, Rosseti PJSC, Saint-Petersburg Polytechnic University.

Within three days of the Conference, the delegates were provided with 66 reports (as compared to 44 reports in 2012 and 57 reports in 2014) that show the growing interest in the event from Russian and overseas experts. The conference gathered about 130 delegates from 12 countries. The organizers paid special attention to attracting young scholars and students not just as listeners but as speakers. The projects to discuss their research with the outstanding experts promotes both the experience transfer and increase of the level of scientific knowledge in lightning protection on the whole.

For the first time the Russian Conference on lightning protection was attended by numerous outstanding foreign scientists. For example, the speakers of the event were the delegates from the International Conference on Lightning Protection. Scientific Committee including Vice-President of this largest industry forum, Prof. Carlo Alberto Nucci (University of Bologna), as well as Fridolin Heidler (University of the Federal Armed Forces Munich, Germany), Vladimir Rakov (University of Florida, USA), Joan Montanya (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Spain), Alexandre Piantini (Universidade de São Paulo, Brasil), Alberto Borghetti (University of Bologna, Italy), and Reynaldo Zoro (Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia). All of them lectured on subjects of their research.

As the time went on, the Russian Conference expanded significantly the scope of issues for discussion at the Conference. The lightning protection is now comprehended in the broadest sense – not just regarding the overhead power lines but the various facilities, structures, equipment as well. That's why such issues as parameters of the existing thunderstorm detection systems, analysis of lightning effects on distribution networks, software for calculation and simulation of overvoltage in power lines, were in the scope of reports. Rather exotic were several reports on lightning influence on wind turbines. Despite the fact that nowadays the distributed generation is not well-developed in Russia, the tendency has become actual in many regions of the world and has every chance to become prominent in our country in the nearest future.

Apart from discussing research and practical aspects of lightning protection, the Conference delegates were able to communicate personally with the key experts of the industry and receive bits of advice on any matters of interest.