HARVESTING ENERGY

FROM LIGHTNING

Engineering Physics (BPHY101L)

(Challenging Assignment Report-Fall 2024)

Submitted by

Name Reg. No
Gomathi Lakshmi G 24BCE1978
Harini R 24BCE5115
Raghav 24BCE1965
Ramya Ramadoss 24BCE1982
Saadhvi Harshitha 24BCE1987
Santhosh
Varun
 HARVESTING ENERGY
FROM LIGHTNING:

Lightning Arrest and Energy Storage:

A Capacitor Approach

SCOPE
Bachelor of Computer Science and Engineering
Vellore Institute of Technology
Chennai
November, 2024

Presentation of work given on:

Thesis and presentation approved by:

Date:

Seal:
 ABSTRACT

Harvesting, storing and using clean energy has become a problem of the present
and the future. It has been long determined that clean energy is paramount to
human development and our current sources of energy, which mainly consist of
fossil fuels, have an adverse effect on the environment. We must consider
switching to clean/green energy to reduce and potentially avoid these adverse
effects. Solar energy and other sources of clean energy can only take us so far. To
meet the ever increasing demand for energy, we need to consider exploring various
new sources from which we could obtain clean energy. Lightning is one such
source of energy. Attempts to harvest energy from lightning in the past have been
proven to be unfruitful, nevertheless, anything that could be salvaged is helpful.

This thesis explores ways to harvest energy from lightning as efficiently as

possible. To make the project easy to use and viable enough, integrating this
system with lightning arresters such as ones used in tall buildings would be the
aim. The elephant in the room here is the fact that lightning contains thousands,
sometimes even hundreds of thousands of volts. This of course is a lot of energy,
but along with this energy comes the problem of heat and the ability of materials to
safely conduct and store that much energy. Your average lightning arrester merely
grounds the energy that passes through it, lightning chooses to go through these
arresters because they appear to be the least resistive path. The same idea is used in
this thesis, except instead of grounding all the energy, we attempt to store it.
Average everyday batteries would simply overheat and explode when exposed to
such high voltages, hence we attempt to use capacitors with high voltage ratings
and can withstand extreme temperatures. These capacitors must be able to charge
rapidly and discharge slowly. Once charged, the capacitor can be used directly or
could be used to charge batteries which could store this energy for even longer
periods. In this thesis, we analyze different ways in which a circuit can be
theoretically built to harness the enormous amount of energy produced by
lightning. We also analyze different types of capacitors to determine the right type
of capacitor(s) for our purpose. This technology, if successfully pursued, could be
used in our everyday lives. However, lightning in itself isn’t a very reliable source
of energy and therefore it won’t be a replacement for the current sources we have.
Nevertheless, it’s an extra source of energy and will help meet some of our
demands occasionally.
 CONTENTS

1. Introduction

2. Lightning
Studying the phenomenon

3. Design
Theory Behind the Design
Alternatives

4. Capacitors
Requirement
Options Considered
Option Chosen

5. Potential Enhancements
Laser Induced Plasma Channels

6. Model Circuit Set-Up

7. Conclusion

8. References

1. INTRODUCTION
With the ever-increasing usage of energy, fossil fuels are being used up
quicker than before. This has resulted in a severely adverse effect on the
environment. In 2021, 36.2 Gigatons of carbon dioxide were added to the
atmosphere. The average global atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide
before the Industrial Revolution was 278 ppm. In 2021, this value was
measured to be 417ppm. This is a drastic increase in the overall concentration
of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This leads to issues like global warming
and other problems that lead to a poor quality of life on Earth. To prevent
these adverse effects of fossil fuels, we need to resort to alternative sources of
energy. These alternative sources could be nuclear power, solar power,
hydroelectricity and so on. One such alternative source is electricity produced
by lightning.

Lightning is a natural phenomenon which discharges huge amounts of

energy, this energy is usually wasted. Harnessing such vast amounts of
energy would provide a considerable amount of extra energy for us to use,
however, this poses a huge challenge given the practical difficulties behind
doing so. This thesis aims to tackle this challenge theoretically by studying
how lightning works and how such large amounts of energy can be harnessed
safely and efficiently. Our design idea involves using lightning arresters, the
energy going through these lightning arresters is stored using a capacitor
which has a high voltage rating and can withstand high temperatures. The
capacitor must be able to charge rapidly but discharge slowly. This allows it
to store high amounts of energy from lightning for a relatively long time
period. The capacitor could also be discharged into a battery. While
connecting one capacitor would do the job, it adds additional risks, therefore
multiple capacitors in parallel could be used to reduce practical risks and to
allow more efficient storage of energy. We also discuss certain enhancements
that could be applied to this model to make it work more efficiently

2. LIGHTNING

STUDYING THE PHENOMENON

In simple terms, lightning is an electrostatic discharge through the Earth’s
atmosphere caused by two electrically charged regions. These discharges
range between 200 Megajoules and 7 Gigajoules on average. The actual
phenomena is still under research, some areas of it have been understood
while others still occupy the minds of scientists. There are different types of
lightning, cloud-to-ground lightning, cloud-to-cloud lightning, and intra-
cloud lightning. The type which we’ll end up using here is cloud-to-ground
lightning. A typical flash of cloud-to-ground lightning is initiated by an
electrical breakdown between the small positive charge region near the base
of the cloud and the negative charge region in the middle of the cloud. The
preliminary breakdown creates channels of air that have undergone partial
ionization, the conversion of neutral atoms and molecules to electrically
charged ones.

Initially, a faint luminous process descends in a downward-branching pattern

in regular distinct steps, typically 30 meters (100 feet) in length, though they
can range from 10 to 100 meters (33 to 330 feet). The time interval between
steps ranges from 10 to 50 microseconds (millionths of a second). Carrying
currents on the order of hundreds to thousands of amperes, the stepped leader
propagates toward the ground at an average velocity of 1.5 × 105 meters per
second. It is called a stepped leader because of its downward-moving
“stepped” pulses of luminosity. This is the main/initial stroke, it’s often
succeeded by return strokes. During the return-stroke stage, approximately
105 joules of energy per meter are dissipated within the lightning channel

This process presents itself as “lightning” to us. It could be a destructive

force but it can also be used constructively.

3. DESIGN
 THEORY BEHIND THE DESIGN

Designing a device to harness the energy discharged during a lightning strike

has proven to be a challenge. It presents practical difficulties such as extreme
voltages, and high temperatures and it’s based on an unreliable &
inconsistent source. Extreme voltages by default dissipate a lot of heat when
being conducted. Storage of such high energy is a different issue altogether.
Minimizing heat dissipation is a relatively easier problem as it can be done by
having a properly conducting path with the right materials, similar to the ones
used in lightning rods. Such as Copper. Now moving to the more difficult
issue, storing the energy. Batteries are usually the go-to option to charge,
store and use energy. However, in this case, they’re not the best option since
batteries usually take a long time to charge and are not capable of
withstanding high temperatures. Hence, here we try to use capacitors.

Even capacitors can’t withstand high temperatures or excessive voltages.

However, there are specialised capacitors for such instances, moreover, they
usually charge much quicker than batteries. While they also discharge
quicker than batteries, there are specific types of capacitors that discharge
much slower. To reduce the load on an individual capacitor and still
maximize the energy stored, multiple capacitors can be connected in parallel.
This reduces the load on each capacitor while helping us store as much
energy as we can. In summary, it’s a lightning rod (made of a metal such as
copper) connected to multiple capacitors (with a high voltage rating and high-
temperature tolerance) in parallel. The rod as expected acts as a target for
lightning to strike, the energy from the strike is then conducted to the
capacitors where it’s stored. These capacitors can individually be connected
to batteries which can store energy for a longer duration

ALTERNATIVES
Using capacitors to directly store energy from lightning is just one method.
Several other methods could be used to harness the energy from lightning.
Instead of capacitors, we could directly use batteries. As discussed, however,
this has its own downsides.

Alternatively, we could use an entirely different concept. We’re aware that

high voltages are associated with dissipation of extreme heat. We could use
this to our advantage. A high-resistance component can be added to the
circuit. This component must be able to tolerate high temperatures. Upon
application of extreme voltages, the component would heat up. This heat
could be used to convert fluid to steam, the steam can be used to rotate
turbines which generate electricity. The concept would be very similar to
nuclear reactors. The general structure would be similar to a lightning
arrester, a lightning rod would be connected to a resistive component, and the
entire system would be grounded. This too has its downsides. Lightning isn’t
a constant source of energy, it occurs randomly, therefore short bursts of
energy would be insufficient to heat the resistive component for significantly
long enough to convert fluid to vapours that could be used to rotate turbines.

This is a practical issue and would mean that this alternative of the design is
not viable

4. CAPACITORS

REQUIREMENTS
We use capacitors to store energy produced by lightning. Due to the high
amounts of voltage that will pass through these capacitors, we’d need
capacitors with high voltage ratings that could operate at high temperatures.
The capacitors should have the ability to charge rapidly but discharge
relatively slowly. Usually, capacitors which charge rapidly also discharge
rapidly, this process can be slowed down by external components. These
capacitors must also be safe and reliable to use given the dangerous
conditions under which they’ll be performing.

OPTIONS CONSIDERED

Different types of capacitors with high operating temperatures were

considered. The list includes Tantalum capacitors, which are reliable and
versatile and can operate between temperatures ranging from -55°C to
+125°C. However, Tantalum capacitors have weak resistance to voltage and
current. If the polarity of the applied voltage is incorrect, the capacitor may
fail or perform poorly. These capacitors can experience a dangerous failure
mode called thermal runaway. This occurs when the anode comes into
contact with the cathode during a voltage spike, causing a chemical reaction
that produces heat, smoke, and flames. Tantalum capacitors are also
relatively more expensive.

Solid electrolytic capacitors were next considered, these capacitors have

similar advantages to that of tantalum capacitors. However, these are not
reliable enough. The possibility of leakage currents is high and it has a rather
short lifespan.

Ceramic capacitors were also considered, these capacitors have a large

operating temperature range and are resistant to heat. But, when exposed to
overvoltage, these capacitors were capable of burning and therefore were
unreliable, especially given how they’d be exposed to high voltages in their
working conditions.

Metallized polyester film capacitors were one of the choices (this type was
the type which was chosen in the end), these capacitors were capable of being
operated in high temperatures and were able to withstand high voltages. They
had lower maximum current limitation and a higher dissipation factor which
were regarded as downsides.

Silicon dielectric capacitors would be next on the list, these capacitors are
perfect for conditions that require high stability and they are operable at high
temperatures. However, they have a limited maximum capacitance and are
expensive.

OPTION CHOSEN

In the end, we went with a metalized propylene film capacitor. Polyester film
capacitors are film capacitors using a dielectric made of the thermoplastic
polar polymer material polyethene terephthalate (PET). The polyester film
absorbs very little moisture, and this feature makes it suitable for "naked"
designs without any further coating needed. They are of relatively small
dimensions with relatively high capacitance values. PET capacitors are
mainly used as general-purpose capacitors for DC applications, or for semi-
critical circuits with operating temperatures up to 125 °C. The maximum
temperature rating of 125 °C also allows SMD film capacitors to be made
with PET films.[33] The low cost of polyester and the relatively compact
dimensions are the main reasons for the high prevalence of PET film
capacitors in modern designs. The small physical dimensions of PET film
capacitors are the result of a high relative permittivity of 3.3, combined with
a relatively high dielectric strength leads to a relatively high volumetric
efficiency. This advantage of compactness comes with some disadvantages.
The capacitance temperature dependence of polyester film capacitors is
relatively high compared to other film capacitors the temperature and
frequency dependence of the dissipation factor are higher for polyester film
capacitors compared with the other film capacitor types. These capacitors had
the ability to charge rapidly. Moreover, they were cheap, easily accessible
and supported DC. They have the ability to self-recover from short
breakdowns. These capacitors discharge a lot quicker, however this can be
sorted by adding an insulated-gate bipolar transistor. This acts as a switch and
ensures that the capacitor doesn’t discharge. As an alternative, the capacitors
could be connected to batteries as well.
 5. POTENTIAL ENHANCEMENTS

LASER-INDUCED PLASMA CHANNELS

(LIPC)

The main problem with this model is the fact that lightning is an unreliable
source. It’s not easy to predict when and where it’s going to strike. This
makes it merely a backup source from which we could occasionally store and
use energy. It would be very beneficial if we could influence where and when
lightning could strike. A laser-induced plasma channel (LIPC) could
theoretically be used to influence lightning to strike in a predictable location.
The functioning of an LIC is as follows: A laser emits a laser beam into the
air. The laser beam rapidly heats and ionizes surrounding gases to form
plasma. This plasma then forms an electrically conductive plasma channel,
which would act as an atmospheric conduit for electrical discharges of
lightning.

This could be used to direct lightning to our lightning rods more efficiently.
This too has its downsides, in order to emit a pulse of laser powerful enough
to produce a plasma channel, around 5 terawatts of energy is required. This
means we’d most likely end up spending more energy than harvesting, which
is a net loss and therefore it would mean the model will not be viable for
practical use.
 6. MODEL CIRCUIT SET-UP

Materials Required :
 12V Adapter
 LM317 Voltage Regulator IC
 LM311
 IRFZ44N
 BC557 PNP Transistor
 LED
 Resistor
 Capacitor

Circuit Diagram :
The complete circuit diagram for this Circuit is given below.
Set-Up Model :

The circuit is powered by a 12V adapter; we then use an LM317 to regulate

5.5V to charge our capacitor. But this 5.5V will be provided to the capacitor
through a MOSFET acting as a switch. This switch will close only if the
voltage of the capacitor is less than 4.86V as the capacitor gets charged and
voltage increases the switch will open and prevent the battery from getting
charged further. This voltage comparison is done using an op-amp and we
also use a BC557 PNP transistor to glow an LED when the charging process
is complete. The circuit diagram shown above is broken into segments below
for explanation.
The resistor R1 and R2 is used to decide the output voltage of the LM317
Regulator based on the formulae Vout = 1.25 x (1+R2/R1). Here we have
used a value of 1k and 3.3k to regulate an output voltage of 5.3V which is
close enough to 5.5V. You can use our online calculator to calculate the
desired output voltage based on the resistor value available.
We have used the LM311 comparator IC to compare the voltage value of the
super capacitor with a fixed voltage. This fixed voltage is provided to pin
number 2 using a voltage divider circuit. The Resistors 2.2k and 1.5k drop a
voltage of 4.86V form 12V. This 4.86 volt is compared with ref voltage
(voltage of capacitor) which is connected to pin 3. When the ref voltage is
lesser than 4.86V the output pin 7 will go high with 12V with the pull-up 10k
resistor. This voltage will then be used to drive the MOSFET.
The IRFZ44N MOSFET is used to connect the super capacitor to charging
voltage based on the signal from the op-amp. When the op-amp goes high it
outputs 12V on pin 7 which turns on the MOSFET through its base pin
similarly when op-amp goes low (0V) the MOSFET will be opened. We also
have a PNP transistor BC557 which will turn on the LED when the MOSFET
is off indicating that the capacitor voltage is more than 4.8V.
Images :
 7. CONCLUSION

We aim to harvest energy from lightning in the most efficient and viable
manner possible in an attempt to aid our pursuits of finding a clean energy
source. Harnessing energy from lightning is a very tricky process as it
involves dealing with high temperatures and high voltage conditions along
with the general unpredictability and poor reliability associated with
lightning. To maximize the energy stored and to minimize costs and damage,
we attempt to use capacitors to harvest energy from lightning. In the design
which was devised above, a lightning rod, which acts as a target for lightning
to strike, would be connected to multiple metalized propylene film capacitors
in parallel. This decreases the load on each capacitor while helping us
maximize the energy stored by it. These capacitors should be connected to
insulated-gate bipolar transistors which would act as a switch and prevent the
capacitors from discharging. This model could work well theoretically,
however, when it comes to practical applications, it doesn’t function all too
well.

As discussed previously, lightning is an inconsistent source of energy and

can’t be relied on for energy requirements for our everyday use. The
capacitors and IGBP transistors setup would work well theoretically however
this hasn’t been verified with practical applications, and the lifespan of such a
setup is yet to be verified as well. It could be worth looking into however it’s
also dangerous and therefore is better tested in controlled environments
before being tested in real-life conditions.
 8. REFERENCES

https://webberenergyblog.wordpress.com/2013/02/22/lightning-how s-that-
for-alternative/

https://www.britannica.com/science/thunderstorm/Cloud-to-groundlightning

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrolaser#:~:text=A%20laser%2Dind uced
%20plasma%20channel,an%20electrically%20conductive%20p lasma
%20channel

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvesting_lightning_energy

https://www.hongdacap.com.hk/news/Pros-and-Cons-of-tantalum-
capacitors.html#:~:text=Cons%3A,seen%20near%20the%20CPU%20
socket.