Celebrating 50 Years of Lightning Protection Services
This year, 2021, Lightning Eliminators and Consultants Inc. (LEC Inc.) will celebrate 50 years of providing innovative lightning prevention and protection products and technology. In 1971, LEC introduced our Dissipation Array System (DAS). Rather than attracting lightning, the DAS is a proactive lightning protection system that eliminates lightning strikes to the protected structure by utilizing charge transfer.
Since 1971, LEC has sold nearly 3,500 systems which have achieved over 77,000 system years of performance. In addition to the DAS, LEC also provides surge protectors for nearly every application and also grounding system engineering and products. We also offer specialty products, such as the Retractable Grounding Assembly (RGA), which eliminates the risk of lightning-related ignition of petroleum storage tanks. Over 13,000 RGA’s are currently in service.
In the beginning...Lightning Safety and Accident Protection
Lightning Eliminators was founded in 1971 by Roy B. Carpenter, Jr., and still operates today under the guidance and supervision of the Carpenter Family in Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A.
Protecting Industries worldwide for over 50 years LEC incorporates physics and state of the art engineering principles to implement patented lightning protection systems (LPS), solutions and services across multiple industries providing protection successfully and cost efficiently by designing comprehensive lightning protection solutions ensuring all destructive elements of a lightning strike are accounted for, including both primary and secondary effects of a strike.
Roy Carpenter served as a Chief Engineer for NASA’s Apollo Moon Landing Missions and the Space Shuttle design engineering teams. Lightning, a large and frequent problem at Cape Canaveral, led to the formation of Lightning Eliminators & Associates the precursor to Lightning Eliminators & Consultants, Inc. established in order to study and apply engineering principles to lightning strike problems and setting out to design a lightning prevention system based on physics and taking into account the scientific study of point-discharge rather than guess work or mere observation as had been the oversight of the lightning protection community for well over 200 years.
After thoroughly studying the problems associated with lightning protection over time, LEC designed a charge transfer system (CTS) which utilizes the point discharge phenomenon. Known as the Dissipation Array® System (DAS), LEC’s modular and engineered lightning protection devices have prevented lightning strikes and lightning damage at thousands of sites since LEC was founded and continue to do so today. LEC’s confidence in this solution has led LEC to extend a full no-strike warranty to each and every client who purchases a system and recertifies it every year. Over time, the success ratio or reliability of the charge transfer point discharge system stands at 99.87%, with over 60,000 system years of data on close to 3,000 installed systems.
In addition, complimentary lightning measurement devices supplement lightning protection by keeping clients informed of incoming storms, lightning and more. LEC is the source of knowledge and intelligence for all aspects of lightning prevention, control and subsequent risk mitigation and management. Over 150 years of combined real world operational experience, research, innovative product development and consulting services have enabled LEC to carve out a unique niche within the lightning prevention arena across a wide range of industries and governments, both domestically and internationally.
The LEC Advantage over the other vendors is our unique market leading experience, knowledge and expertise. We have an excellent library of technical articles, research papers, client success stories and product presentations that document the success of our patented solutions. The LEC management team members are recognized experts in the field of lightning control and prevention, with a strong background of business and financial leadership. We understand the need to justify and conduct a cost benefit analysis of any expenditure. At the same time we also know, first hand, that any reasonable risk analysis will support exploring our products and services. The LEC Advantage is the heart and soul of our products and services. LEC technical development superiority, consulting services and lightning prevention solutions are customized for each client.
Recent Lightning Protection Awards
- Winner: President’s “E” Award for Exporting - 2013
- Winner: Stevie Silver Award - 2012
- Finalist: Platt’s Global Energy Award/Leading Technologies - 2012
- Winner: Colorado Companies to Watch - 2012
- Recipient: Export Achievement Certificate - 2011