[Hudson11]

kind of important, considering this is the component which ultimately gave the CTBUH justification to rule the mast a spire rather than an antenna (not to bring up bad memories to NYGuy - not that he's the only one critical of that ruling) Though I guess the enclosing is technically what they considered an architectural feature, not the beacon within.

Franklin engineers light up the Freedom Tower in New York

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Carpe Diem Technologies has parts of the beacon that shines light from the skyscaper back on their bench for repairs.

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Now, pieces of the beacon are being returned to Berg’s shop so the company can figure out a way to stop lightning strikes from causing damage to the lights. Berg said the building is struck a few times during every storm because the building’s enormous height naturally attracts lightning. The average lightning strike on the tower contains about 50 million volts, Berg said. After lightning hits a rod on the spire of One World Trade Center, the voltage is greatly reduced, but does not completely dissipate. “If you’re near it, you’re still going to get thousands of volts,” he said. Using a Van de Graaff generator, basically a mini-lightning simulator, Berg can shock his prototype to test it. He showed how he added a device to one of the lights that stops electricity from spreading through the LED. “Think about it like high-pressure steam,” he said. “We basically added a relief valve.” With the new changes, he said, the excess electricity will be contained before it’s able to damage the LED. Hopefully, this will mean the lights can go years without another repair of this nature, he said. As they climb up to collect and take down the petals for repair, workers must wear special suits to protect them from microwaves emitted from the tower’s antennae on the tower, Berg said.

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The petals will then be shipped to Carpe Diem for repairs. The company is currently evaluating the scope of project.

Raisch Studios