Lightning, Friend or Foe?

Lightning is a significant part of the fast-developing storms that frequent the high plains. Yesterday, seven workers loading a UPS airplane were injured when lightning struck the ground near them. Two men were hospitalized because of the injuries. There have been numerous golfers struck by lightning while playing on courses as storms approached. There have been the destructive results of homes burned, forest fires ignited, humans killed or injured, yet we wonder if such outbursts of electrical energy might someday be harnessed for good.

In 1964, my chemistry lab partner and I spent some time discussing the possibilities of being able to harness lightning by charging a tremendously large array of batteries and later discharging those batteries into a power grid to produce electrical power. My lab partner went on to OSU and graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering and I graduated in Chemical Engineering. I am now more interested in producing electrical energy from fuel cells, which is a chemical process. Neither of us has ever pursued our speculations further.