Is it possible to store and use the electricity produced by lightning?
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No it is not possible at this time and I doubt anyone will ever attempt it for a couple of reasons.  From NASA's webpage you can read the rest by clicking on my sources link\n\n1. Most of the power in lightning is dissipated as thunder and light, which cannot be easily harnessed to generate electric power.\n2. However, even just the electrical current of lightning is considerable -- 20,000 amps on average, the same as 100 steel welders. But the power is on for only a brief fraction of a second, so the total power is actually small, only enough to power a 100-watt light bulb for six months.\n3. The huge surge of electrical current over very brief times makes storing the energy impractical.\n4. Lightning strikes to specific locations are infrequent and inconsistent. This makes scheduling power availability impractical.\n5. Lightning can be very damaging. The collection systems have to be incredibly robust, which would drive up costs. Lightning is also very dangerous, making it tough on the collection system workers.\n6. Lightning would have to be collected over a huge area, making the system impractically expensive.\n\n#3 Its saying that lightning comes with an extreme burst of energy in a very short amount of time.  When it comes to electricity it takes awhile to build up, electricity created by a damn for example is created by the water and the turbines, it builds up slowly and is put into its reserve where ppl then draw from it.  If there was to be a massive spike were the water all of a sudden speed up to even 100mph the turbines would overheat and become useless.  Imagine charging a battery, instead of putting it on a charger and gradually letting it build up you just zapped it with a tazer or something.  Its not going to charge its going to explode.  Therefore it is impractical to store it becuase we have nothing that could take such a massive amount of energy in such a short time
527012
It is not possible for usng slar energy directly. because the compresser operations want frequent input. ( Not continuose). In the form Solar electricity is possible. \n\nHow ever Vapour Absorption syastem is possible
1146414
http://science.howstuffworks.com/electricity.htm
336816
Yes. Even though you cant hear it, it is still turned on so therefore using electricity
1144729
(m)\n\nMake a solar cell in your kitchen\n\nWe found this article on http://www.scitoys.com/scitoys/scitoys/echem/echem2.html \n\nIt was super, super, super cool, so we thank them for allowing us to post it at TheSolarPlan.com!  This is nifty!\n\nA solar cell is a device for converting energy from the sun into electricity. The high-efficiency solar cells you can buy at Radio Shack and other stores are made from highly processed silicon, and require huge factories, high temperatures, vacuum equipment, and lots of money. \n\nIf we are willing to sacrifice efficiency for the ability to make our own solar cells in the kitchen out of materials from the neighborhood hardware store, we can demonstrate a working solar cell in about an hour. \n \nOur solar cell is made from cuprous oxide instead of silicon. Cuprous oxide is one of the first materials known to display the photoelectric effect, in which light causes electricity to flow in a material. \n\nThinking about how to explain the photoelectric effect is what led Albert Einstein to the Nobel prize for physics, and to the theory of relativity.\n\nMaterials you will need \n\nThe solar cell is made from these materials: \nA sheet of copper flashing from the hardware store. This normally costs about $5.00 per square foot. We will need about half a square foot. \nTwo alligator clip leads. \nA sensitive micro-ammeter that can read currents between 10 and 50 microamperes. Radio Shack sells small LCD multimeters that will do, but I used a small surplus meter with a needle. \nAn electric stove. My kitchen stove is gas, so I bought a small one-burner electric hotplate for about $25. The little 700 watt burners probably won't work -- mine is 1100 watts, so the burner gets red hot. \nA large clear plastic bottle off of which you can cut the top. I used a 2 liter spring water bottle. A large mouth glass jar will also work. \nTable salt. We will want a couple tablespoons of salt. \nTap water. \nSand paper or a wire brush on an electric drill. \nSheet metal shears for cutting the copper sheet. \n\n\n\n\n\n\nHow to build the solar cell \n\nMy burner looks like this: \n\nThe first step is to cut a piece of the copper sheeting that is about the size of the burner on the stove. Wash your hands so they don't have any grease or oil on them. Then wash the copper sheet with soap or cleanser to get any oil or grease off of it. Use the sandpaper or wire brush to thoroughly clean the copper sheeting, so that any sulphide or other light corrosion is removed. \n\nNext, place the cleaned and dried copper sheet on the burner and turn the burner to its highest setting. \n\nAs the copper starts to heat up, you will see beautiful oxidation patterns begin to form. Oranges, purples, and reds will cover the copper. \n\n\nAs the copper gets hotter, the colors are replaced with a black coating of cupric oxide. This is not the oxide we want, but it will flake off later, showing the reds, oranges, pinks, and purples of the cuprous oxide layer underneath. \n\n\n\nThe last bits of color disappear as the burner starts to glow red. \n\nWhen the burner is glowing red-hot, the sheet of copper will be coated with a black cupric oxide coat. Let it cook for a half an hour, so the black coating will be thick. This is important, since a thick coating will flake off nicely, while a thin coat will stay stuck to the copper. \n\n\nAfter the half hour of cooking, turn off the burner. Leave the hot copper on the burner to cool slowly. If you cool it too quickly, the black oxide will stay stuck to the copper. \n\nAs the copper cools, it shrinks. The black cupric oxide also shrinks. But they shrink at different rates, which makes the black cupric oxide flake off. \n\n\nThe little black flakes pop off the copper with enough force to make them fly a few inches. This means a little more cleaning effort around the stove, but it is fun to watch. \n\n\nWhen the copper has cooled to room temperature (this takes about 20 minutes), most of
558107
case 1: the walls are made of conducting material\nIn this case you can safely bath, because the silica in the concrete is a better conductor of electricity than water and will conduct the electricity to the earth. How ever highly ionised water might still conduct a fraction of the electricity.\nCase 2: the walls are made of insulating material and the water storage is exposed to lightning: \nThis might be really dangerous as the lightning can be discharged only through the water and will toast you.\nCase 3: The walls are made of insulating material and the water storage is properly insulated from lightning attacks:\nDON WORRY.
10241
Skyscrapers are prone to lightning strikes that could cause damage if not safely conducted to ground.  The mast on the Empire State Building in NYC is apt to be struck more than once in a single storm.  The grounding system must be operable at all times therefore it is unlikely that the lightning that is grounded could be put to useful work.  Also, the lightning voltage is highly variable and may be as strong as 6,000 Volts.  Electric charge dissipated to ground on a clear day would also be lost.  Incidentally, the sky may have both positive and negatively charged clouds since lightning strikes from cloud-to-cloud are common.  Charge is a relative thing.  Airplanes are also struck while passing between clouds and must be able to conduct electrical surges across movable airfoils to avoid welding hinges in a fixed position.  Conducting cables or straps are used in some applications.\n\nAdded 12/21/05.  Actually atmospheric charge does cause a current to ground and also along a power transmission line, especially as a result of sunspots and ionization of air.  An electrical engineer buddy told me that it was a great nusiance affecting global communication by cable and causing power grid outages.  I imagine that the power could be arrested and utilized but is not cost effective or steady enough to count on.  Still someone may find a way.  As you say it is free although the equipment may be costly.  Good luck.
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most definitely.\n\na "crystal radio" works without batteries and uses the energy of the radio waves ( radiation ) to create an electric  current in its coils which then produces sound in a small earphone.  \n\nthe problem is not transforming radiation into electricity.\n\nits just that the amount of radiation that is present in the atmosphere is very small and practically unusable ( except for crystal radios ! ).\n\nsolars cells do this also but very large areas of these panels can collect enough light to power anything of human practical value.
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To harness the electricity usefully would be huge, but exceedingly difficult.\n\nYou could fly a kite with a wire string in a thunderstorm. \n\nDON"T TRY THIS UNLESS YOU FULLY UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENS WHEN 100,000,000 VOLTS DOES WHEN TRAVELING THROUGH ANYTHING IN ITS PATH!
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Electricity is a form of energy that can be transmitted efficiently through copper wires because it is a good conductor. To transmit the same electricity through air, you will need very high voltage as air has a high resistance. Additionally, the efficiency will also be reduced as there may be arcing. High voltage is also dangerous.\n\nHowever, when we send a Radio Wave, it is also a form of energy. In the early days of Radio, there is a circuit that is popular with Radio enthusiasts called the Crystal Radio. The Crystal Radio does not need a battery to power it. It uses the Radio Signals itself. With some innovative design, one can tap into the Radio waves and convert that into electrical energy. This is a form of wireless electricity. However, the power level is very low.\n\nSo potentially, it is possible but there are probably many challenges ahead. Today, it is still not viable but we never can tell, technology has always done the impossible.\n\nFor very short range, electricity may be wirelessly  transmitted via induction (magnetic fields). Some pace makers are recharged via induction.
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Lightening has been harnessed for research. People send up a rocket with a wire cable attached to it and the lightening runs down the cable to the ground.\n\nIt's not being commercialy harvested because the actual current in the bolt is not worth harvesting.
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if you are referring to creating electricity from uv light then any standard photovoltaic panel will do the job.  Depending on what photovoltaic material you use the efficiency will change, but because much UV is fairly close to the visible spectrum most will give you decent collection.
1002879
That's a big no.  The same chemical properties that make it so oil and water don't mix makes it so oil cannot conduct electricity...ever!  In fact, to make it do so you'd have to change it's composition so completely it wouldn't really be oil anymore! :-P
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Thats because it it Internet Explorer, use Firefox and it wont happen. If lightning struck your power source there would be a lot more trouble than web pages.
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Try:\nhttp://science.howstuffworks.com/lightning.htm\nAlso:\nhttp://science.howstuffworks.com/question182.htm\nand\nhttp://science.howstuffworks.com/question646.htm
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An alternative energy source
1123936
the lightning actually starts in the ground from static electricity...I always thought it was odd starting from ground...