Discussion»Statements»Rosie's Corner» It has been around for years. Consideration of harnessing energy from LIGHTNING. But sadly it is problematic. WHY?
It has been around for years. Consideration of harnessing energy from LIGHTNING. But sadly it is problematic. WHY?
"A single bolt of lightning could power the city of Santa Fe for a minute." But most of the energy goes to heating the air not delivering energy. There seems to be no practical way to do it. Too bad.
A lightning bolt transfers a lot of electrical energy, yes, but as two or three transients, very short pulses, and very close together; unpredictable in time, place and power. A lot of the bolts are between different parts of the storm-cloud, and those that do reach the ground do not automatically all use the same ground-point.
There are no reliable ways to collect and convert that energy to a useable form; but anyway as your estimate shows, there is not really a very useful quantity available anyway.
You would gain far more from the winds accompanying the storm.
Durdle 