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From: lorraine@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu (Peter Lorraine)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics,sci.physics
Subject: Re: resistance of earth ground
Message-ID: <1571@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu>
Date: Tue, 30-Jun-87 11:40:20 EDT
Article-I.D.: batcompu.1571
Posted: Tue Jun 30 11:40:20 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 1-Jul-87 07:16:21 EDT
References: <1315@cullvax.UUCP>
Reply-To: lorraine@tcgould.tn.cornell.edu (Peter Lorraine)
Organization: Cornell Theory Center, Cornell University, Ithaca NY
Lines: 18
Keywords: potential differences, thunderstorms
Summary: origins of large potential differences
Xref: mnetor sci.electronics:880 sci.physics:1803


 

   In a reply to the original question about the resistivity of the 
earth someone mentioned that enormous potentials exist across continental
distances.  What is the mechanism that generates these potentials?
Is there a return current balancing the generation mechanism?  I've 
heard that your typical (whatever a high school geography teacher meant
10 or so years back) lightning flash carries several coulombs.  The
electrostatic energy in a capacitor is 0.5CV**2.  How much energy does
the earth churn out each day moving charge around?  
    As long as my mind wanders, can anyone think of a way to collect
some of this energy?  How about sticking superconducting rods from the
ground up two or so miles and collecting current on a continuous basis?
This is probably not very practical for some fairly obvious reason
(other than the engineering ones :).
         Thank you,
             Peter Lorraine (lorraine @ tcgould.tn.cornell.edu)