An Electrical Systems Earth (ESE) Lightning Arrester, also known as an Early Streamer Emission Lightning Arrester, is a type of lightning protection device designed to mitigate the impact of lightning strikes on structures and equipment by providing a preferred path for lightning discharge to follow.

The primary purpose of an ESE lightning arrester is to intercept the lightning before it makes direct contact with the protected structure, such as a building or a tower. It operates based on the principle of creating a corona discharge at its tip when the electric field strength around it reaches a certain threshold. This corona discharge initiates an upward streamer earlier and more effectively than the surrounding objects, which then attracts the downward lightning leader coming from the thundercloud.