What TÜV SÜD does...
Directed bolts
Article from TÜV SÜD Journal 4/2010

Right now, up to 3,000 thunderstorms are rumbling around the world. It is estimated that all of these storms generate about 30 million lightning events. Or to put it another way: lightning flashes a thousand times every second around the world. The weather phenomenon has a number of different faces, including forked lightning, ball lightning and St. Elmo's fire, a corona discharge of the air surrounding lightning. In mythology, thunder and lightning are often viewed as expressions of anger by heavenly powers. To Germanic peoples, lightning was a sure sign that the god Thor had hurled his hammer to Earth.
There is no place for mythology in the seminars conducted by TÜV SÜD Academy. In contrast, the five-day seminar »Specialist in Interior and Exterior Lightning Protection« gives students the room they need to learn about the causes of thunderstorms, the protection of information technology facilities and the planning of lightning-protection systems. The objective: After completing the course, students should not only be familiar with the current standards that apply to the erection of lightning-protection systems, but should also be capable of professionally installing, servicing and repairing lightning-protection systems.

