Installation Guide

LED Lighting Surge Protection Modules

Design and Installation Guide

Underground

Line

Transients

Figure 2. Indirect lightning strikes can induce magnetic ﬁelds in overhead and underground power

lines that produce over-voltage transient surges.

The surges produced by electrical storms can adversely affect outdoor LED lighting

installations. The luminaire (the combination of a module or a light engine with control gear to

form a lighting system) is susceptible to damage both in the differential and common modes:

• Differential Mode – High voltage/current transients between the Line-Neutral (L-N) or

Line-Line (L-L) terminals of the luminaire could damage components in the power supply

unit or the LED module board.

• Common Mode – High voltage/current transients between the L-G (earth) or N-G (earth)

terminals of the luminaire could damage safety insulation in the power supply unit or LED

module board, including the LED to heat sink insulation.

Based on site surveys and statistics on years of lightning strike data in the United States, the

IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) recommends test criteria for induced

surge waveforms and energy levels for indoor/outdoor locations (Category A/B/C). The IEEE

recommendations were then referred to by ANSI (the American National Standards Institute)

and the DOE (Department of Energy) when testing standards were established in the

United States.

Indirect Lightning-Induced Surge (continued)