 
An interesting concept is emerging in the field of alternative energy. We are all familiar with nasty coal fired power plants, nuclear energy, and wind energy, not to mention my favorite-solar. However, one that’s beginning to make some environmental noise is harnessing the power of lightning to power up the grid. The generation and harvesting of this natural phenomenon is taking power to a new height and one in which folks are starting to take notice. In fact, dare I say, folks are pretty, “charged up” about it!
Inventor, Steve Le Roy, developed a device that intentionally generates lightning strikes for the sole purpose of energy harvest. Studying the turn of the century electrician, Nikola Tesla, whose coiled transformer was such a stir, Le Roy felt that he could develop something equally as intriguing. (Tesla was a modern electrical pioneer whose groundbreaking discoveries helped to make significant advances in the field)
Le Roy found that each three foot lightning bolt could generate enough electricity to light a 60 watt bulb for 20 minutes. For a full scale system utilizing many devices, he feels it could power 30,000 homes for a day with one lightning bolt. One Midwest thunderstorm has the electrical capacity to power the entire United States for 20 minutes. The potential for lightning harvesting fields with arrays of bolt conductors is mind boggling.
“Strike” up the band and “charge” ahead in this new frontier!
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