Electromagnetic fields of accelerating charges: Applications in lightning protection

•A lightning strike to a conducting structure generate propagating currents.•These propagating currents move with the speed of light.•They produce fields inside and in the vicinity of the structure.•Field equations of accelerating charges are applied to calculate these fields.•The resulting field can be written as a sum of fields produced by point source currents.

Electromagnetic fields generated by accelerating charges can be utilized to evaluate the electromagnetic fields generated by systems where moving charges and/or propagating currents are present. The technique can be used easily to evaluate the electromagnetic fields generated by systems in which propagating currents are present. This is illustrated by utilizing the equations to derive expressions for the electromagnetic fields generated by systems in which current pulses injected by lightning flashes are propagating.