Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Electricity from the Air


A week ago I was on vacation and while relaxing in a hotel room it still amazes me that to this day one movie which captures the attention of not only myself but of the narrow attention span of my kids is Back to the Future.  In case you're not familiar with the plot and have lived in a cave or simply despise movies the concept of time travel for Doc Brown’s Delorean was achieved through nuclear energy which channeled into a neat device called the Flux Capacitor which enabled Doc and Marty to travel through time.  When travelling back to the Fifties the availability of Plutonium was next to impossible to obtain (as was in the 80’s and current still), however Doc Brown in his infinite brilliance managed to find a work around to that dilemma by channeling electricity from a bolt of lightning and gaining the necessary energy to charge the flux capacitor and travel back home to 1985.  

Today believe it or not science fiction approaches science fact as Professor Fernando Galembeck from Brazil has found that drawing electricity from the air may in fact be our next alternative energy source.  As industries slowly shift directions and search for alternative fuel sources the concept one area that has remained relatively untouched is option in which to harness the power of nature itself.  The capability to leverage this untapped power source may be possible by using similar panels on rooftops of buildings which prevent lightning before it forms.  Such devices are currently being tested and are in an early stage of development.  This capability appears to be a near term enabler as a result of scientists having discovered finally on how moisture in the atmosphere becomes electrically charged.

While much research and testing are required, this discovery points us in a new environmentally friendly path which has always been available to us (with exception to Alaska which doesn't experience electrical storms).  The possibility of powering homes and recharging electric cars could be as simple as waiting for the next lightning storm to arrive.  

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