Aim the solar furnace up :)

[Chris Nimmons]

If one was to create an array of X amount of mirrors tracking the sun and shining on a targeted spot in the sky to create ions at specific elevations similar to a ladder, could this cause an ion column to create a continuous charge of energy from the upper atmosphere to hit the ground?

Lets say we have tier one targeting a spot at .5 km above the earth, also a tier two targeting 1 km above the Earth and a tier three at 2 km and so on and so on into the ionosphere at 75 km. The ions would rise between the tier steps creating a conduction channel. The distances above the Earth are changeable.

This ionized channel from my understanding is the same thing as a stepped leader from a thunder storm, creating a source of power from the potential difference between the upper atmosphere and the Earth the ground? Is this something that can be done? Also what implications would this have on radio wave transmission and the atmosphere?

 

[davenn]

If one was to create an array of X amount of mirrors tracking the sun and shining on a targeted spot in the sky to create ions at specific elevations similar to a ladder, could this cause an ion column to create a continuous charge of energy from the upper atmosphere to hit the ground?

how/why would it hit the ground ??

and I strongly doubt that your thread should be labelled advanced ... post graduate level ... really ??

 

[fresh_42]

Is this something that can be done?

Why? To create lightnings? What for?

 

[Chris Nimmons]

Thanks for your response! I wasn't sure where to put my post because I am new to the forum and don't quite get the levels of academia. We all have to learn some way so I now know not to post here again with my ideas. :) I should have done more research.

Focusing the suns light on one object can produce an enormous amount of heat. Each added mirror increases the heat during the day. This total heat can charge the particles at its focus. If enough energy is produced could the particles become ionized at the target? If the target had enough heat could the heat move upward towards the next focal target pushing the ionized particles upward creating a channel of ions. If it reached a high enough altitude would this create a medium to transfer a flow of electrons back to the earth? I may have a total misunderstanding of lightning but there's not much out there to read. We don't understand it all that well from my gathering since its one of those perfect situation kind of things.

I am not sure why your mad but I hope you have a great day!

 

[Chris Nimmons]

Why? To create lightnings? What for?

For energy. We don't have the batteries today but why not research it for the future? You have to have a problem to solve before you can solve it right? You can't know what you don't know.

 

[fresh_42]

You can probably ionize the air, but along the entire beam and there is no target, as such a beam doesn't end. So you have more of a horizontal and potentially hazardous effect than a vertical effect. If you install such a beam, it would be far easier and way more efficient (and is actually done), to heat either salt, oil (storage) or air (vertical turbine) to generate energy. I cannot see any possibility to harvest energy from such a set-up. The ions would be permanently exchanged by the turbulence the heat of the beam causes. I don't even think that the production of a single lightning is possible. For research purposes they use thunder clouds and copper wires. This must be for a reason.

 

[Chris Nimmons]

The image button is not working however here is a side profile of what i am talking about. The straight lines at the bottom are mirrors, the arrows going up are the photons and the circles are the target positions.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B55-mGt4dNtbTlMyR1JqeW9QWGM/view?usp=sharing

 

[davenn]

For energy. We don't have the batteries today but why not research it for the future? You have to have a problem to solve before you can solve it right? You can't know what you don't know.

it's already done much easier by heating a boiler for steam to turn turbines and it doesn't harm the atmosphere or anything flying through it

 

[Chris Nimmons]

it's already done much easier by heating a boiler for steam to turn turbines and it doesn't harm the atmosphere or anything flying through it

Whats it called? Can i get a link?

 

[fresh_42]

Whats it called? Can i get a link?

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

 

[Chris Nimmons]

Thanks for the link. I've seen it in person. Its not the same idea and i figured that's what you would link. I appreciate your time and wish you the best! :)

 

[davenn]

Thanks for the link. I've seen it in person. Its not the same idea and i figured that's what you would link.

it's much more direct and therefore efficient that what you were proposing