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Description
The increasing expansion of wind power generation has highlighted the vulnerability of wind turbines (WTs) to lightning strikes, particularly upward flashes. Due to their height and blade rotation, WTs exhibit initiation and attachment processes distinct from those in static structures. This work analyzes the physical processes involved in the development of upward lightning in WTs using recordings from conventional, high-speed, and high-sensitivity cameras obtained between 2021 and 2025. The analysis reveals that WTs act as active receptors, emitting corona discharges from all blades under thunderstorm conditions. These emissions respond dynamically to environmental atmospheric discharges, with intensification being the most frequent behavior. Notably, simultaneous corona occurrence on multiple blades was identified as a precursor to complex events, such as the initiation of multiple upward flashes on different blades and the attachment of a single discharge to multiple contact points. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of WT vulnerability by detailing the dynamic physical mechanisms of upward lightning flashes.