P3_1 Shocking Revelations

Abstract

The feasibility of using lightning as a renewable source of energy is studied. It was found that, while a good idea in practice, efficiently converting electricity into a useful product presents a problem as well as the rarity of lightning strikes themselves. It was calculated that even in a location that experiences lots of lightning, it would only get struck on average once per year. Due to this, it is unlikely that the power obtained from lightning itself would outweigh the expense of building a facility to efficiently harvest it.