Lightning studies on effects on distribution lines: a bibliometric analysis

Abstract

The study of lightning effects on distribution lines is of vital importance for the reliability and safety of electrical systems, as lightning is one of the main causes of failures. The purpose of this study is to perform a bibliometric analysis to evaluate academic productivity trends and research trajectories in this field. The methodology was based on a comprehensive search of the Scopus database, from which a total of 545 articles published between 1932 and 2024 were analyzed. For the analysis, the VOSviewer tool and the Bibliometrix library in R were used. The results reveal a constant increase in productivity since the 1970s, with Japan and China emerging as the most prolific countries. The research has evolved from early theoretical and experimental studies toward the use of advanced computational models and, more recently, the application of machine learning techniques for fault detection. In conclusion, the findings of this study provide a consolidated view of the field, which is fundamental for engineers to be able to design more robust protection systems and to guide future research toward model validation and the integration of renewable energy technologies.