Re: [Phys-L] Atmospheric Energy

[brian whatcott <betwys1@sbcglobal.net>]

On 05/01/2012 02:43 PM, Donald Polvani wrote:

> [How feasible] ...to involve a collecting balloon
> at cloud levels connected by a conducting cable to a "power converter" (also
> up in the atmosphere), then by conducting cable to a ground "isolation
> platform" and then connected to a power generator.

Four contributors to the charge balance between atmosphere and Earth are 
given as
1) Fair weather Air-Earth current.      3E-12 A/m^2 integrated to 1530A 
for Earth's entire surface.
2 )Precipitation current    1E-12 A/m^2
3) Lightning current  1.3E-12A/m^2 when integrated over the Earth's surface.
4) Thunderstorm Air-Earth current   3E-12 A/m^2
[from Israel, Dolezalek; Atmospharische Elektrizitat Vol 2  (1961) pp368- ]


Speculating on the enhanced gradient which might possibly  be available, 
I can
suppose that a breakdown potential of 1kV per mm air and a cloud height 
of 300 meters
 leads to a high-end estimate of  the voltage available of    300 MV
Speculating further, on the effective area for charge collection with 
such a scheme as a 1 km square
leads to a continuous power estimate not greater than  3E-12A/m^2 X  1E6 
m^2/km^2 X 3E8 V X 1 km^2
which resolves to 900 watts continuous.



Brian W