  We study the use of frequency upconversion schemes of near-IR picosecond
laser pulses and compare their ability to guide and trigger electric discharges
through filamentation in air. Upconversion, such as Second Harmonic Generation,
is favorable for triggering electric discharges for given amount of available
laser energy, even taking into account the losses inherent to frequency
conversion. We focus on the practical question of optimizing the use of energy
from a given available laser system and the potential advantage to use
frequency conversion schemes.
