Approximately 40 million lightning strikes hit the ground in the United States each year and nearly 1.2 billion hit the globe. The total costs from lightning-related damage to US industry and property is estimated to be between $8 and $10 billion each year. Traditional lightning protection, the lighting rod, dates back 270 years. According to the National Severe Storm Laboratory, a single lightning bolt can have 100 million to 1 billion volts and it contains billions of watts. As weather conditions continue to worsen, the charge of lightning bolts is increasing.

Lightning rods are designed to protect a house or building from a direct lightning strike and, in particular, a lightning-initiated fire. Note that lightning rods do not prevent lightning from striking the structure, but rather intercept a lightning strike, provide a conductive path for the harmful electrical discharge to follow a copper or aluminum cable and disperse the energy into the ground. It’s very important that these components be properly connected (bonded) to minimize the chances for any sparks or side flashes, a very dangerous consequence resulting in a lightning-initiated fire.

While lightning rods help protect a structure from a direct lightning strike, a complete lightning protection system is needed to help prevent harmful electrical surges and possible fires caused by lightning entering a structure via wires and pipes. A complete system also includes electrical surge protection devices for incoming power, data, and communication lines; and surge protection devices for vulnerable appliances. Lightning protection may also be needed for gas piping.

Lightning rods are not designed to withstand the magnitude of increasingly more powerful lightning bolts, a result of worsening weather conditions. If not properly monitored and maintained, a lightning rod can actually do more damage to a property by attracting a lightning strike and causing a fire. Rather than install a complete lighting protection system that includes a faulty lighting rod, a CMCE device can be installed to cover 500, 000 thousand square feet.

The CMCE devices are designed to prevent lightning strikes from forming by deionizing the electrical field. With more that 9,000 customers and zero strikes in twenty years, the CMCE devices are rapidly becoming the standard for a technology-based lightning protection system.

The CMCE devices work to balance the electrical field. They constantly drain current from the field, both positive and negative, and reduce the potential difference building during a storm. This process eliminates the upward streamers and effectively camouflages, or hides, a protected structure from the stepped leaders descending from the clouds and attempting to connect to the ground. The result is a lightning-free protected zone where lightning cannot directly strike. The CMCE is the most effective way to eliminate lightning from striking your boat, home, business and more.

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