I'm obsessed with energy

[Mystical]

Okay I'm a layman. But I'm thinking, you guys are smart, you could tell me why we aren't harvesting Lightning for energy?

Why aren't we harnessing Tesla conductors for energy production?

[Angrboda]

I got nuthin'.

[pineapplebunnybounce]

I would think it's because it's too infrequent. Even wind energy runs into the problem of inconsistency. And I'm not sure if it's doable or if it's financially worth doing since you know, doesn't happen that often.

[Mystical]

I would think it's because it's too infrequent. Even wind energy runs into the problem of inconsistency. And I'm not sure if it's doable or if it's financially worth doing since you know, doesn't happen that often.

True, but there are specific points on earth where storms rage constantly. Not to mention on other planets

Venezuela
Here, where the Catatumbo River empties into South America's largest lake, an "everlasting lightning storm" rages continuously for up to 10 hours a night, in exactly the same place, 260 nights a year. Nowhere else on Earth is so much lightning concentrated in one spot, with such regularity. For up to 10 hours at a time, the sky above the river is pierced by almost constant lightning, producing as many as 280 strikes per hour. Known as the "Relampago del Catatumbo," this lightning storm has been raging, on and off, for as long as people can remember.

[max-greece]

I don't think storing that amount of electrical energy given off in such a short space of time is all that easy. Capacitors can cope with sudden charges, batteries generally can't - but the number / size of capacitors you would need to deal with a single strike is probably comparable to the world output of capacitors in a year.

Even if you could capture it the infrastructure required to then send it somewhere it might be needed - like a major city would be considerable.

In other words - much as for fusion the problem is one of control.

[Jacob(smooth)]

Energy surrounds us, it's harnessing it that's a bitch. A lightning bolt is a relatively small amount, and difficult to harness.

Every day the moon drags several trillion tons of water 10 feet in the air and let's it drop. The sun moves trillions of tons of water into the sky where it falls and makes rivers. You want a great unharnessed energy source, look there.!

However I believe the future will be decentralised generation. Everyone generating their own power.

[pocaracas]

I would think it's because it's too infrequent. Even wind energy runs into the problem of inconsistency. And I'm not sure if it's doable or if it's financially worth doing since you know, doesn't happen that often.

True, but there are specific points on earth where storms rage constantly. Not to mention on other planets

Venezuela
Here, where the Catatumbo River empties into South America's largest lake, an "everlasting lightning storm" rages continuously for up to 10 hours a night, in exactly the same place, 260 nights a year. Nowhere else on Earth is so much lightning concentrated in one spot, with such regularity. For up to 10 hours at a time, the sky above the river is pierced by almost constant lightning, producing as many as 280 strikes per hour. Known as the "Relampago del Catatumbo," this lightning storm has been raging, on and off, for as long as people can remember.

Now, imagine you're a builder... would you submit to those conditions?
Would you risk getting struck by lightning every single day?

Imagine you're an investor... would you invest in materials/machinery that are subjected to lightning every single day?

I too would like to time travel, but it seems like an impossible thing....

Besides, 1.21GW in a few microseconds would require quite the infrastructure just to process and store.
Just doing a small calculation... 1.21GW in one microsecond yields 1210Wh, or... less than the charge of one rechargeable Ni-MH battery, these days...


So you can charge one or two batteries per lightning strike... yippie!

EDIT:messed up Wh and mAh.... bah... ok, charge 1000 batteries per strike, or keep 10 100W lightbulbs on for an hour, per strike. ok, now that looks a bit better.

[KichigaiNeko]

Shit. I just finished a YouTube series focusing on this.... Give me a mo and I will try to find them

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http://youtu.be/pPnGvjmIgZA

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http://youtu.be/AAmqeHCFq_8

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http://youtu.be/nYxlpeJEKmw

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http://youtu.be/Nh6lkv1udb0

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http://youtu.be/VnAhAX98HY4

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http://youtu.be/f5zdr0COebw

[TAW]

I would think it's because it's too infrequent. Even wind energy runs into the problem of inconsistency. And I'm not sure if it's doable or if it's financially worth doing since you know, doesn't happen that often.

If we were using more alternative energy sources we could cover up for those times of inconsistency with another method of energy production.

[pineapplebunnybounce]

I would think it's because it's too infrequent. Even wind energy runs into the problem of inconsistency. And I'm not sure if it's doable or if it's financially worth doing since you know, doesn't happen that often.

If we were using more alternative energy sources we could cover up for those times of inconsistency with another method of energy production.

Yea of course which is what they're doing with wind energy, supplementing it with others. But lightning doesn't even produce energy comparable to wind energy, right?

Luckie, yea but the amount put into researching the best way to harness, actually building something and then maintaining it just for a few spots in the world probably doesn't appeal to a lot of investors. Would probably invest more in developing more technology for harvesting light, water and wind.