Modeling and Simulation of Distribution Networks under Lightning Transients: A Comparative Study of Accuracy and Complexity

Nowadays, electricity consumption is closely linked to the economic growth of cities, states, and countries, providing a better quality of life and security. Overhead power distribution networks at medium- and low-voltage levels are responsible for serving and supplying electricity to the largest consumer class, as they represent most consumer installations. Due to this reason, there is a vast expanse of exposed networks vulnerable to the effects of atmospheric discharges. Therefore, the objective of this article is to implement and evaluate the models available in the literature to represent distribution networks during transient events caused by lightning, using simulation in ATPDraw. These structures pose a significant complexity in their representation, and there are studies that assess more accurate methods for simulating transients in transmission lines, which have different structural and configuration characteristics. Ultimately, the results demonstrate that the choice of which model to implement in a simulation heavily depends on the analysis to be conducted by the researcher, and it can be observed that more accurate methods do not always yield substantial differences in the obtained outcomes.