Cape Town – More than 150 lightning protection experts from around the world have gathered in Cape Town to discuss and exchange information on issues including how to better protect renewable energy systems and predict approaching storms using artificial intelligence.
For the first time in its history, the International Conference on Lightning Protection (ICLP) is being hosted on the African continent, this time in Cape Town at the Cape Town International Conference Centre (CTICC). The conference, which kicked off on Sunday and concludes Friday, is hosted by Wits University.
With some of the most spectacular thunderstorms in the world, South Africa has a long history of lightning research, including the work being done at the Johannesburg Lightning Research Laboratory (JLRL) at Wits University, and an experienced lightning protection industry.
“Lightning is one of the biggest weather-related killers in the world, claiming the lives of more than 24 000 people worldwide each year. In South Africa alone, more than 250 people are killed by lightning annually and thousands more are injured, while insurance claims are estimated to be more than R500 million each year,” said Dr Hugh Hunt, Head of the JLRL and Technical Chair of ICLP 2022.
“Southern Africa as a climate change hot spot is likely to see increased lightning activity, making the study of lightning in the Global South paramount to mitigate the dangers to human safety and economic sustainability,” he added.
ICLP 2022 offers a platform for the exchange of scientific and technical information related to lightning phenomena.
The ICLP, first held in Germany in 1951, has become the largest biennial conference that forms a global platform where the academic and industry giants of lightning protection come together and exchange scientific and technological knowledge through presentations, discussion, workshops and exhibitions.
Professor Ian Jandrell, a registered international professional engineer renowned for his scientific work over 30 years that focuses on lightning injury and the risks associated with lightning, and the current deputy vice-chancellor: systems and operations at Wits University, lobbied for many years to bring ICLP to South Africa.
“Our interest is the impact of lightning on humanity and not only on human lives but industry, society and how we manage the risk associated with lightning,” said Jandrell.
“In Johannesburg we are exposed to an average of 15 to 20 flashes per square kilometre per year – a high flash density for a country’s main economic centre,” said Hunt, adding that the JLRL aims to harness this flash density and continue South Africa’s rich history of lightning research, making measurements of ground-truth lightning events to better understand the physics and behaviour of the lightning phenomenon with an aim to improve lightning protection systems and human safety.
Cape Times