Re: Can lightning power electroysis and split hydrogen and oxygen in water?

That is a very good idea, and perhaps you will be one of the people who will solve the technical problems. Here is a short list of the problems that will have to be solved in order to make your idea work:

1) Lightning is unpredictable. Can a hydrogen-production plant be made portable enough to follow thunderstorms? Can the hydrogen-production plant tolerate random lightning events?

2) Lightning is very, very, powerful. Usually the things that are struck by lightning are damaged by the extremely high voltage and current. The hydrogen- production plant will have to be able to tolerate both.

3) The current available from lightning lasts for only a few tens of milliseconds. The hydrogen-production plant will have to be able to store the energy or else use it very quickly.

Keep thinking!!!!

John Link, MadSci Physicist