Lightning is one of the most fascinating and spectacular natural phenomena. The powerful electrostatic discharge that it represents lights up the sky during electrical storms.
Nevertheless, we must not forget that lightning strikes Earth with great force, and without appropriate protection and prevention it is potentially hazardous for people, animals, buildings and electrical and electronic equipment.
Nowadays, around 25 million lightning strikes impact the earth every year. In relation to the frequency of the lightning strikes, some research studies point out that the heat and a rise in temperature are related to cloud electrification. In fact, it is known that during the summer, thunderstorms are more frequent.
This reasoning could make us think that if the climate change produces a global rise in temperatures, an increase in lightning events could be produced.
More and more buildings and houses have electronic devices that allow for a more efficient and comfortable home: thermoregulation, sophisticated security systems, all kind of automations, remote controllers, energy management systems, several interconnected devices…There is no doubt in there being a trend for domotised homes which will increase, given how these technologies mean an important improvement in the quality of life.
Lightning causes significant damages and losses all around the world, especially in those areas with higher frequency of thunderstorms and during the summer months. It is estimated that there are about 2,000 active storms every day and that approximately 40 lightning strikes per second on Earth, which means about 1200 million strikes per year. Some researches suggests that there could be an increase in thunderstorms due to climate change and pollution.
