AI is changing lightning risk analysis by tightening the loop between evidence, standards, and decisions for safer infrastructure. Skytree Scientific’s LRA Plus™ shows how precision software can turn complex assessments into consistent, auditable outputs that support better protection planning without guesswork.
Why lightning risk still hurts
Lightning can cripple networks that run power, water, data, and transport. A single strike can cascade from a substation to switching, from a tower to comms, from a control room to the field. Failure chains grow through interdependence. Precision assessment matters because poor scoping and stale data leave blind spots that protection hardware cannot hide.
From manual grind to disciplined analysis
Traditional workflows scatter across spreadsheets, standards tables, and site notes. Errors creep in where values are transcribed, factors misapplied, or context missed. AI-assisted calculation compresses that long tail of manual effort. The outcome is a clean pipeline from inputs to compliant results, with rationale exposed at each step for scrutiny. Engineers gain time to weigh trade offs, not wrangle arithmetic.
Standards anchored, not hand waved
Safe infrastructure demands alignment with lightning protection standards such as IEC 62305. Interpreting those rules consistently across many sites challenges even seasoned teams. AI-guided software keeps calculations and thresholds inside the rails, resisting drift and personal shortcuts. The benefit shows up later during audits and plan reviews when every figure carries traceable lineage.
Where AI adds practical value
- Removes repetitive computation and cross referencing so teams focus on the risk picture, not lookup tables.
- Surfaces salient factors such as structural susceptibility, service criticality, and consequence pathways, keeping attention on what changes decisions.
- Produces structured reports with clear logic progression, which shortens stakeholder review cycles and reduces rework.
LRA Plus™ in practice
Skytree Scientific positions LRA Plus™ as a precise assessment tool that helps engineers produce faster, more reliable, and standards-aligned lightning risk assessments. It streamlines the steps from project scoping to documented findings, with an integrated assistant that explains calculations and offers recommendations based on supplied data and the assessment’s results. The software does not function as a full protection design and does not install, audit, or conduct on site assessments. Skytree Scientific refers on site work to partners where needed.
Better decisions, fewer surprises
Risk analysis earns its keep when it guides proportionate protection. Good assessments prioritise sites and subsystems that carry high consequence, then support targeted improvements that balance cost with resilience. AI supported workflows nudge teams toward that discipline. Not by magic. By structure. By removing friction from standards application. By expressing rationale in language that regulators and operators both accept.
A grounded path forward
Lightning will keep testing infrastructure. The response must combine credible assessment, sound engineering, and accountable delivery. Skytree Scientific, through LRA Plus™, contributes to the first of those pillars with a focused software approach and a partner network for field work where required. The result is a safer planning cycle, fewer blind spots, and assessments that stand up when the sky turns loud.
Conclusion
AI is reshaping lightning risk analysis by turning messy, error prone tasks into consistent, reviewable assessments that align with standards and shorten decision time. LRA Plus™ by Skytree Scientific exemplifies this focused shift, keeping to assessment, offering clear recommendations from supplied data, and leaving design, installation, and audits to the appropriate specialists. The payoff is simple. Safer infrastructure, backed by assessments that hold firm when scrutiny arrives.
