2006-11-11 07:41:25 · 7 answers · asked by waltva 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Yes, put a lightening rod on your barn, home, or skyscraper. When the lightening bolt strikes, there will be an electric current of MANY amps from the top of the lightening rod to the earth where it's grounded. At some point in the circuit, put a metallic conductor parallel to the lightening rod. By Faraday's Law, a voltage will be induced in your conductor. Discharge this into a capacitor (possibly a very LARGE one) and you have stored the energy.
There are some serious problems with heat melting the conductors, safety, etc, but those are engineering problems.
2006-11-11 08:54:43 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
While it is possible to capture some of a lightning bolt's energy, the amount of energy is so great, there would be no place to store it. A bolt of lightning can contain a gigavolt (a billion volts) of electricity or 300,000,000,000 joules (that's 300 billion joules) of energy. There is simply just not a battery big enough to store that kind of charge. Even if there were, the heat generated (28,000 degrees Celcius or 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit) would easily melt and critically damage such a device.
2006-11-11 15:52:56 · answer #2 · answered by Spaghetti Cat 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, Benjamin Franklin captured part of the energy of his famous lightning experiment by charging a Leyden jar (named for the University of Leyden in Holland). This is just a early, high voltage capacitor. That electrical energy is then usable. I suspect you want a much larger fraction of the lightning's energy. Personally, by my experience, I'd not try these experiments with REAL lightning. I've already had one house struck and burned! (No I wasn't really experimenting, I was sleeping when the lightning hit, and the house was a total loss!).
2006-11-11 15:47:25 · answer #3 · answered by birchardvilleobservatory 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
ben franklin um captured lightning. storing is 1 id like to investigate. storing power when not being used would take either an electric motor turning with the excess power in low demand hrs,turning a very high geared gyro that takes forever to get moving and then takes forever to stop, but would switch the motor to a genny in peak use periods, with a variable drive planetary tranny linking them. it would help, but probably cost more in maintenance than it would save, unless it had huge heavy flywheel,or even used a water style clock.
i just love dumb ideas i get.useless as a clock on the roof or inside the wall, but works sorta.
2006-11-11 15:55:22 · answer #4 · answered by l8ntpianist 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes.
I was going to leave it at that for a joke, but you've got me thinking now. I guess it would have to be captured in a battery, or converted to another type of energy to run a generator. I think the second route would be more wasteful, but probably easier to do. I'll have to think some more on that.
2006-11-11 15:47:09 · answer #5 · answered by wayfaroutthere 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it could be possible i suppose but is very dangerous...with a conductor and a load for the energy.
2006-11-11 15:45:43 · answer #6 · answered by jdconsultation_101 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
"1.21 jiggawats!?!"
"Tom, how could I have been so careless?"
"What the hell is a jiggawat?!?!?"
2006-11-11 16:34:03 · answer #7 · answered by BOO! 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋