Electret experiment (Alternate Energy)

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I read in the old answers, under free electricity about an action where static electricity build up on a wire and then jumps into a battery. Has anyone taken this beyond the "talk about it" stage? I looked up electret on Google and this seems to be a wire manufacturing problem more so than an alternative answer.

-- mitch hearn (moopups1@aol.com), June 16, 2001

Answers

Response to Electret experiment

I believe Nikola Tesla addressed this during his electricity transportation experiments and alternating current development in the late 19th century.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), June 16, 2001.

Response to Electret experiment

And the answer of my question was.....

-- mitch hearn (moopups1@aol.com), June 16, 2001.

Response to Electret experiment

As much as I understand it Mitch, the only real problem with the theory is the quantities involved. To do anything useful would require very long wires for even a tiny quantity of electricity. Although the voltages may be extremely high, I have seen reference to figures for the static electricy gradient of the atmosphere in the region of 30volts per metre. The problem is the current is very low. No matter how high the voltage is the current is nil and the power will also be nil.

It might be interesting to do a few experiments which I would not mind discussing.

Note I am not talking about thunderstorms as the amount of pent up energy in a big cumulo-nimbus cloud is enough to vaporise me and everything around me, Benjamin Franklin was very lucky!

-- john hill (john@cnd.co.nz), June 16, 2001.


Response to Electret experiment

The answer to the question, no Mitch, I have never done any experiments.

-- john hill (john@cnd.co.nz), June 16, 2001.

Response to Electret experiment

Mitch,

My apologies at misunderstanding your post. Your question was... "Has anyone taken this beyond "talk about it" stage?". I interpreted that to include historical figures as well as forum participants. Tesla did experiment toward this direction . You may find additional information for your own experiments by doing searches of his life, Westinghouse , and electricity. In answer to your question, No, I have not experimented with this on a feasible scale. One of my physics professors did cover this theory in class though

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), June 16, 2001.



Could it be, in keeping with todays needs, possible that the tiny amount of electricity traveling the wire would charge a transformer to elevate the voltage? My knowledge of electicity is limited to regular house useage, I have no insight into physics or theory. It was stated in the original posting, (alternative energy- free electricity) that the electret factor could charge a deep cycle battery in 2 or 3 days, was that incorrect? Is there any known methodof constructing a static electricity generator or known system that would enhance static electricity,s presense?

-- mitch hearn (moopups1@aol.com), June 17, 2001.

My understanding on this is that the lack of ampere strength in the charge limits the functionality. Static charges while containing extremely high voltages (100,000 volt + in some cases) do not have the current capabilities to complete the power formula for a working charge. As technology advances, storage and gathering technique will develope. The present approach tends to be using low current circuitry that doesn't require the ampere force as sensors,line protectors and some medical inplants. Nothing in the way of higher level yet. Watch the news and in the near future an aerospace concern will probally announce advancements in this direction.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), June 17, 2001.

I am really sticking my head out here but so far those who know more than I have not put their hands up, so here goes.

The earth is rich in electrons while the atmosphere is short of them. When wind blows over a conducting surface that is connected to the earth (for example, our 'pick-up' wire) electrons will be 'wiped' off the wire into the atmosphere. There are only so many electrons which will be wiped off over a period of time and Amperes (which is the measure of current) are defined as so many electrons per second. I can't imagine any trickery I can do at ground level that will cause more electrons to be wiped off except to make the wire longer.

The tiny current formed by the electrons being wiped off might charge a battery but I am unsure of the time and would be prepared to accept that it might take YEARS to charge a relatively small battery.

-- john hill (john@cnd.co.nz), June 17, 2001.


A transformer may well have a place in a sucessful system (if one is ever devised) but I think it will be a bit more complex than any I have so far seen proposed.

A transformer generally involves two circuits, one circuit has high voltage and low current, the other circuit has low voltage and high current. In each circuit the product of multiplying the voltage by the current is the same, ignoring some losses. If the current (or voltage) in one circuit is near as dammit zero then there will be no magical creation of power.

Still, it is an interesting subject.

-- john hill (john@cnd.co.nz), June 17, 2001.


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