Corona discharges from grounded rods under high ambient electric field and lightning activity

Abstract

We assess results of corona pulses detected under high background electric field in the laboratory and in the field in two different experimental sites. The first location is on the roof of a regular building, and the second is on a flat area. Due to the enhancement of the E-field caused by lightning strikes in the vicinity of a grounded rod with a sharp tip, we observed positive and negative pulses before or after the strikes. When lightning activity is far from the structure, but the electric field remains high, pulses are still observed.