Question

Harvesting Lightning

It has been proposed that lightning be harvested for energy. Measurements of lightning strikes indicate that they have the following average properties (note, these are reasonable approximations):

Potential difference between each end of 100 million V

Current of 30000 A

Time of 1.67E-4 seconds

20 strikes per square kilometer per year in lightning prone regions of the United States and 200 strikes per square kilometer per year in the most lightning prone regions in the world (Congo).

"Lightning collectors" have the following properties (I'm just making these up, though I think they are wildly optimistic):

They can only collect lightning that would strike within a 100 m x 100 m area

They each cost $10,000

They last 40 years

Maintenance costs and scrap value are negligible

The following economic data are also known (these are very rough estimations):

Electrical energy is worth about $0.15 per kWh and is not expected to increase in value

Investors in such projects expect to get back triple their initial investment in total after 40 years

As an independent energy consultant, it is your job to check if this project is a good investment in either the United States or Congo. Provide a report detailing your assertions and your reasoning. Assume that your audience is investors who have perhaps taken high school physics or college physics many years ago. You will be graded on both the correctness of your physics (and accounting) and your ability to explain the physics to such an audience.

Answer 1

No. of Lightining collector can be installed at 1 square km area,

Total cost of the installations,

Now, We have a set up that can receive 20 lightining per year for 40 years. So in 40 years total 800 such events.

Now power harvested from each event ,

Cost of that power,

So they won't even get the money they have invested. So the project is not worth to take on.