Xref: utzoo rec.boats:4194 sci.physics:13789 sci.electronics:13142 Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!sharkey!cfctech!teemc!fmeed1!cage From: cage@fmeed1.UUCP (Russ Cage) Newsgroups: rec.boats,sci.physics,sci.electronics Subject: Re: St Elmo's Fire (was Re: Lightning) Summary: Yes, you can tap this energy, but not easily. Keywords: Induction, space charge, capacitance, point action Message-ID: <7316@fmeed1.UUCP> Date: 25 Jul 90 16:58:32 GMT References: Reply-To: russ@m-net.ann-arbor.mi.us (Russ Cage) Followup-To: sci.physics Organization: Ford Motor Co., Electronics Div., Dearborn, MI Lines: 30 In article kimf@arrester.caltech.edu (Kim Dorian Flowers) writes: >richard@locus.com (Richard M. Mathews) writes: >>chapter 9). Away from thunderclouds, the earth has a negative charge >>relative to "the sky." The potential difference is quite incredible: >>about 100 volts per meter. >Anyway of hooking up to this potential difference and drawing some >energy from it? :) Yes. An ion source (whether radioactive or merely a corona point) will conduct micro-amp to milli-amp currents into the air, depending on the configuration. You need to put it high up. The problem is using this energy: it is extremely high-voltage and low-current. You are dealing with a source impedance of megohms to gigohms. I have seen propotypes of electrostatic motors to convert this electricity directly to work. They are... different. The supply is definitely dangerous, and can spark over a good part of an inch. Protecting the collection system from lightning is problematic. This was pretty hot stuff in the alternate-energy school of thought a while back, but it's pretty cool now. The technical problems seem to be more than just slightly hard to solve. -- Russ Cage Ford Powertrain Engineering Development Department Work: itivax.iti.org!cfctech!fmeed1!cage (Business only) Home: russ@m-net.ann-arbor.mi.us (Everything else) I speak for the companies I own, not for the ones I don't.