Have you ever heard of a lightning arrester? It’s a superhero device for electrical systems, particularly switchgear.

Consider this: lightning hits and may wreak havoc on electrical systems by dumping massive amounts of power and current. That’s bad news; we’re talking about equipment damage, fire hazards, and the dreaded downtime.

Our hero, the lightning arrester, has arrived! Consider it a barrier against the mayhem of lightning. When lightning says “Hi!” with its super-high voltage, the arrester intervenes. What is its role? Allowing lightning to take a shortcut to the ground.

Metal oxide varistors (or MOVs for short) are cool parts inside the arrester. When the voltage climbs through the ceiling, the resistance of these MOVs drops dramatically. When this occurs, the lightning surge follows this easy path to the earth, keeping it away from sensitive portions.