Indonesian Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Vol. 8, No. 1, October 2017, pp. 221 ~ 229 DOI: 10.11591/ijeecs.v8.i1.pp221-229  221 Received June 9, 2017; Revised August 17, 2017; Accepted September 5, 2017 A Review of Lightning Protection System - Risk Assessment and Application Hui Hwang Goh* 1 , Sy yi Sim 2 , Jamil Shaari 3 , Noor Atiqah Azali 4 , Chin Wan Ling 5 , Qing Shi Chua 6 , Kai Chen Goh 7 1,3,4,5,6 Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Parit Raja, Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia. 2 Department of Electrical Engineering Technology, Faculty of Engineering Technology, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Parit Raja, Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia. 7 Department of Construction Management, Faculty of Technology Management and Business, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Parit Raja, Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia *Corresponding author, e-mail: hhgoh@uthm.edu.my Abstract A lightning strike could bring thousands mega-ampere of current in a blink of eyes. As a result, a failure of grounding the strike may cause serious damage to the home and industrial appliances and gadgets. Hence, a lightning protection system is essential to the current transmission system. Lighting is a natural phenomenon that is unavoidable. Hence, the study of the properties and characteristics of lightning is a must in designing lighting protection system. Every application has different criteria to be fulfilled. The type of lighting protection system is categorized based on the location and user. The different of location is a public area, transportation system, power system transmission and generation system which include renewable energy source. Each area can conclude different level of protection. This paper is assessing the possibility and probability of transient impact on all applications including, public area, power system line, and generating system. The review includes countermeasure which addressed few steps to determine the effect of lightning and countermeasure of protection. Keywords: lightning protection system, Surge protection devices Copyright © 2017 Institute of Advanced Engineering and Science. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction A deadly but beautiful natural sky phenomena are lightning. As the name implies, lightning is a sparkling flash of light that emitted due to electrical discharged that occur all around the world, whether the urban area, rural or even on space of fields. In theory, lightning is happening due to the disproportion of charges between thunderclouds to ground or clouds themselves [1]. Most lightning strikes occur between clouds and sometimes happen to be the lightning to the ground which is small possibility occur. A lightning strike could bring thousands mega-ampere of current in a blink of eyes [2]. Mostly, likely lightning targeting at the nearest point on earth to it which with high potential of positive charges. In another word means the closest point is referred to tall building, structure, electrical tower or even trees as long as they can discharge the electricity to the ground. Globally know that human activity equipped with electrical and electronic devices whether used at home or work, which indeed are exposed highly to a lightning strike. When lightning struck, the overcurrent of lightning would create a huge transient onto the circuit line. Transient or surge is one of the major contributors for the electrical equipment to be damage, failure to operate and destruction. Therefore, it is essential to be equipped with protection system to prevail the effect of the lightning strike. To minimise damage may cause by a lightning strike, a lightning protection system (LPS) commonly is installed [3-5]. The primary function of LPS is to protect the building structure and all invaluable equipment in or on the structure. LPS act as a Faraday Cage protects defendless equipment from the threat of external electric field by diverting the electricity and its contents around the cage to the earth. Apparently, a good LPS provides lowest resistance path for a surge to flow to the ground for dispersing the transient.