5 ms·
I wonder if this could be the first step in harnessing lightning energy.
by yipbub 4y ago
I wonder if this could be the first step in harnessing lightning energy.
- severino 4y agoWasn't this already achieved in 1955? Or was it 1985?
- dylan604 4y agoIn 1985, you had to time with hitting 88mph too, so it made it much more difficult. Although, they had the advantage of knowing the future of exactly when it would strike.
- tonmoy 4y agoSome quick math shows that even if we harvested every single lightning strike in the US and converted it all to electricity, it will account to roughly 0.6% of all electricity generation of the US. I doubt it’ll be useful as a means of energy generation
- ortusdux 4y agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvesting_lightning_energy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvesting_lightning_energy "A single lightning strike, while fast and bright, contains very little energy by the time it gets down to earth, and dozens of lightning towers like those used in the system tested by AEHI would be needed to operate five 100-watt light bulbs for the course of a year." As I understand it, most of the energy from a lightning strike is turned into heat.
- Footkerchief 4y agoClearly the solution is aerostats tethered by transmission cables.
- ortusdux 4y agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning_rocket https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning_rocket "A lightning rocket is a rocket that unravels a conductor, such as a fine copper wire, as it ascends, to conduct lightning charges to the ground. Lightning strikes derived from this process are called "triggered lightning."" I like the idea of a longer lasting solution, though the tethers would need to be high-temp superconducting cables. The wires in triggered lightning vaporize and the energy is mostly lost to heat.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- JonChesterfield 4y agoThough given high temperature superconductivity, we can probably do better than cables into the atmosphere.
- mensetmanusman 4y agoMaybe harnessing it to make cool artwork