Why cant we store electricity?
543419
Electricity most certainly CAN be stored! Inside of nearly every electronic device ever manufactured, you'll find a component known as a "capacitor".  Large capacity, polarized "electrolytic" capacitors store energy for anywhere from just a few tenths of a second, to as long as several hours, depending upon the "load", or in other words, just how much "drain" is imposed. It's equivalent to filling a large bowl with water, and then either "dumping" the entire bowl of water out, or, conversely, slowly letting the water drip out, in a small stream.\n  If, for example, you charge up a 2200 microfarad capacitor from a 12 volt DC power supply, and then you turn off the power, disconnect the capacitor, and then hook the capacitor to an "LED" (light-emitting diode) and limit the "current flow" with say, a 1K (1000 ohm) resistor wired in series with the LED, the slow discharge will cause the LED to light up, and stay illuminated for several seconds, as the capacitor slowly discharges electrical energy into the LED.\n  Also note that nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal-hydride batteries store electrical energy, and can run small appliances such as cell phones and video cameras, for many hours!\n  The lead-acid battery in your car is continually charged by your car's alternator, (actually a generator) in order to allow you to start your car, each time you put the key into the ignition.\n  DC-to-AC power inverters that are now sold everywhere, can turn the 12 volts DC from your car battery, into 120 volts AC, which is what comes out of your wall outlets, in your home.\n  The various means used to store electricity for home use can be expensive and complex, but they are even now, in use by many people, in many parts of the world.
990524
Good question.  I believe you can make electricity "wireless" but only in a straight line, sort of.  The reason, I believe, is becuase electricity goes on the path of least resistance, like water.  If you pour water down a stone it'll zig-zag because it's easier and less resistant, but if you want it to go from one stone to another, you need some time of channel to direct it there.  It's just not gonna jump there.\nAs far as making it wireless, like a wireless modem, it's pretty much impossible, because it's gonna go to the best and easiest conductor like a piece of metal that's closest to it.\nI'm not a master electrician or a scientest of any sort, but it makes sense.
193464
Leaving it on all the time makes the hardware last longer. Sure, it uses more power but it's cheaper than replacing your hard drive and fans every few years.\n\nAnd in response to the lightning thing... if your house gets hit by lightning, it won't matter if your computer is on or off, lightning will still fry it. Surge protectors won't help in that case either.  The only way you can protect your computer from a lightning strike nearby is to unplug it from all the cables.
175649
It will need some kind of electric source, or it won't do anything. They are really cool, though.
285182
Lightning basically is a discharge of static electricity. Atmosphere and ground work like two plates of a condensator.\n\nCharging a battery requires a steady current within a limited voltage range - if the voltage range is exceeded, all kinds of unwanted reactions take place which are likely to destroy the battery.\n\nI think what you are after is not use of the lightnings, but something like a cable hanging from the sky through which the electrostatic charge can be neutralized.\n\nThere are a couple of practical difficulties creating and fixating such a cable (or a sufficiently high tower). If we had them, we could indeed leach away potential differences between various layers of the atmosphere and the ground. Several science fiction writers have exploited that idea assuming availability of high temperature superconductors and spacelift cables. It might just work.\n\nSuperconductors are almost a necessity because a conventional cable that long would use up most of the energy as thermal energy released from its electrical resistance.\n\n\nSo: The use of lightnings as energy source is highly unlikely. The use of the energy which causes lightnings is theoretically possible, practically we lack the technology to make it useful. It is unlikely that we would rely on that energy if we could make space-lift cables because in that case we'd simply use solar energy collectors in space and lead down all the energy we need from the vast amount of unused solar radiation.
260188
DO NOT do that!  It would be dangerous (creates a fire hazard), and one of the protective devices (fuse or circuit breaker) would probably trip under load regardless.
1039362
You need an energy transformer machine.  You put sound in, press the sound-to-electricity button and out comes electricity.  Make sure you have a storage cell attached or you'll get shocked.
56815
Sure.. But due to the controlled environment & electrical requirements, it is not practical.
189253
current is the flow of electrons batteries and capacitor store the potential for current so in a way you can store it
862384
aside from the fact that your wasting electricity by leaving it on at night, lots of programs and operating systems have at least some memory leaks. That's when a program doesn't release the memory it's holding for a program. When that happens, it slows the computer down, and if your computer springs enough leaks, it will crash. This is less of a problem with newer operating systems, but I would still shut the computer at night if your not using it.
755360
It is possible to store the energy, but it is neither easy, nor efficient.
301342
Not nearly as long if you use nonels rather than electric. They are safer too.
496498
Dunno bout UK...  Some states actually do not have any laws regarding that, and those that do. . .  well you would have to comply with the laws for a "mobile home". Also you have have trouble getting electricity installed to it. May require you to install a pole similar to those at camp grounds..... Where I live (Alabama) You only have to have it 2' off the ground. (concrete blocks) you must have it restrained with tie downs, (not difficult) and Have more than 1 entrance way (back door) - That is if your electricity is on a camping pole. (easiest way) Dunno bout plumbing specs, I don't see a problem though. But hey, if you have alot of land with trees, and if you don't tell anyone and don't attempt to get a registered address. . . .  who'll ever know you're there?
741555
Heat speeds up the chemical reaction within the battery. This delivers lots of electrons from the positive terminal to the negative terminal. To the extent that these electrons are lost to the environment (i.e., if there are any conductors that can carry the electrons away from the negative terminal), the battery is being discharged, and a portion of its chemical energy has been wasted.\n\nThat's why many people store batteries in the refrigerator or freezer. Being cold slows down the chemical reaction, so there is less tendency for the battery to discharge. The battery won't provide much electrical power if you try to USE it while it is cold, but cold is a good way to store it and preserve its chemical energy for a future time when you warm it up and use it.
862716
You probably have a problem with your wiring.  CALL AN ELECTRICIAN TO CHECK EVERYTHING OUT!  I know it sucks financially, what with it being the "chirstmas shopping season" and all, but what if you have a serious problem and it causes a fire...you could lose a LOT more than your things...people could get hurt.  Don't risk it!
204840
Actually, when you get right down to the underlying physics, each bit of stored data is held in a semiconductor junction as a small electrical charge.  The design of the semiconductor junction traps this charge within its structure until it is changed by writing new data to it with a computer, camera, etc.  In an un-powered state, these 'charged' junctions will hold their state without any batteries or capacitors to aid them in doing this.  This is a fundamental characteristic of all Non-Volatile memory design, such as flash memory, taught in semiconductor physics.\n  This is a very basic explanation.  But yes, there is a very, very tiny amount of electrical energy stored within.
699522
There are people that successfully live off-the-grid.  They generally use a combination of alternative energy sources such as wind, solar, natural gas, etc.\n\nCheck out the link below for a lot of ideas from people that live without an electric utility connection.\n\nGood luck.