Lightning pulling power from the grid?

Ok it's raining for the first time in a while and I noticed something weird. The first time my lights dimmed and then I heard thunder I figured they flipped a switch or something but.. Then the same thing happened.

Could storms "charge up" using power from our grid?

reply to post by mb2591


Interesting thought, but as far as i know electricity travels to ground. So i think lightning strikes on power-lines
follow this logic, and still go to ground.

So i don't think it is possible for the power to flow the other way.

reply to post by rigel4


No I'm not saying the lightning struck the powerlines.
I'm basing this off the fact that you can pull (steal) electricity off powerlines if you run a wire parallel to it as long as it's not to far away.

Originally posted by mb2591
reply to post by rigel4

 

No I'm not saying the lightning struck the powerlines.
I'm basing this off the fact that you can pull (steal) electricity off powerlines if you run a wire parallel to it as long as it's not to far away.

Wow , didn't know that

Where are these thunderstorms? UK

reply to post by mb2591


So your using a steal cable as an analogy to lightning?
not sure i follow !

I think what happens is the plasma of lightning is causing the spark gaps (surge arresters) to spark. When they spark, more energy then just the lightning strike is being grounded. Thus, some of YOUR energy is bieng grounded as well as the lightnings.

Originally posted by rigel4
reply to post by mb2591

 

So your using a steal cable as an analogy to lightning?
not sure i follow !

No. that would be steel cable. I'm saying you can use cable(wire) to steal electricity off the grid.

Originally posted by northEASTukPIMPStheSYSTEM

Originally posted by mb2591
reply to post by rigel4

 

No I'm not saying the lightning struck the powerlines.
I'm basing this off the fact that you can pull (steal) electricity off powerlines if you run a wire parallel to it as long as it's not to far away.

Wow , didn't know that

Where are these thunderstorms? UK

No Texas

Running a wire of some sort parallel to power lines draws power from them because current in a wire generates a magnetic field around that wire. Interaction with the magnetic field around power lines induces the flow of electricity in the parallel line (so long as the line is moving in some way).

Lightning is an electrostatic discharge - it is a current of free electrons through the air. And, just as a matter of fact, lightning does not have to strike the ground... in fact, long rumbling thunder is typically a result of cloud-to-cloud lightning. Again, a current generates a magnetic field. If the current, and the magnetic field, associated with a lightning strike gets close enough to power lines, it will certainly interfere with the current in those power lines, whether it actually strikes the lines or not. Most likely, it would result in an instantaneous increase in the current, possibly causing a power surge without even striking the line.

reply to post by CLPrime

Yup. Annnnddd..,

The power surge can cause breakers in nearby substations to trip. The tripped breakers cause a loss of power. Power returns when the breakers are reset or power is routed from elsewhere.

Originally posted by Phage
The power surge can cause breakers in nearby substations to trip. The tripped breakers cause a loss of power. Power returns when the breakers are reset or power is routed from elsewhere.

Yep. Lightning will have a far greater voltage than the power lines, so it won't pull power from them, it will add power to them. More than what they are designed to handle. If there were no circuit breakers, your appliances and wiring would end up damaged.

It taked a huge amount of voltage to pass a current from the sky to the ground.

Originally posted by XL5
I think what happens is the plasma of lightning is causing the spark gaps (surge arresters) to spark. When they spark, more energy then just the lightning strike is being grounded. Thus, some of YOUR energy is bieng grounded as well as the lightnings.

That explains why my Voltage drops from 121v to 118v during a storm...

I don't know if it really explains the 3volt drop (121-118Vac). Its the split second drop from about 120 to 90Vac or to 10Vac. I personally don't think lightbulbs will go that dim even with 90Vac.

It probably is (from posts above this one) breaker opening up and power getting taken from somewhere elsethat causes the flicker.

reply to post by mb2591


H.V. powerlines (here they are typically 11 000V in urban areas) have lightning arrestors consisting of tubes of carbon balls between each line and earth. The resistance of these tubes is high enough to let very little current through at the nominal 11kV. Since lightning is in the millions of volts, when it strikes power lines much more current flows through these tubes (to earth, conventionally speaking). Earth leakage sensors in substations detect this and open switchgear to prevent the bulk of this "spike" from reaching installations (your home etc).

Since many H.V. lines are fed from more than one source (such as a "ring main"), momentarily opening switchgear will place more load on other feeders causing voltage to drop until the affected switchgear is reclosed. Typically switchgear will automatically reclose up to 3 times with a 1 - 3 second delay.

This is why your lights may flicker (voltage drop, "brown out" etc) or even go of for a couple of seconds in an electrical storm.

Originally posted by rigel4
reply to post by mb2591

 

Interesting thought, but as far as i know electricity travels to ground. So i think lightning strikes on power-lines
follow this logic, and still go to ground.

So i don't think it is possible for the power to flow the other way.

yes it is, it is called induction.....

The most common form of wireless power transmission is carried out using direct induction followed by resonant magnetic induction. Other methods under consideration include electromagnetic radiation in the form of microwaves or lasers.[2]

en.wikipedia.org...

Originally posted by purplemer

Originally posted by rigel4
reply to post by mb2591

 

Interesting thought, but as far as i know electricity travels to ground. So i think lightning strikes on power-lines
follow this logic, and still go to ground.

So i don't think it is possible for the power to flow the other way.

yes it is, it is called induction.....

The most common form of wireless power transmission is carried out using direct induction followed by resonant magnetic induction. Other methods under consideration include electromagnetic radiation in the form of microwaves or lasers.[2]

en.wikipedia.org...

Clearly apples are more valuable than oranges..........

I think I see what you are trying to say but the term "electricity" is ambiguous. It simply ascribes a name to a phenomenon.

One might think in terms of "electrical current" and "electrical potential". Electrical current may flow between any two (or more) points with a difference in electrical potential. As to which way "electricity" flows is a matter of opinion.

Your point of "electricity" not always flowing to earth is entirely correct though.

Originally posted by OZtracized
reply to post by mb2591

 

H.V. powerlines (here they are typically 11 000V in urban areas) have lightning arrestors consisting of tubes of carbon balls between each line and earth. The resistance of these tubes is high enough to let very little current through at the nominal 11kV. Since lightning is in the millions of volts, when it strikes power lines much more current flows through these tubes (to earth, conventionally speaking). Earth leakage sensors in substations detect this and open switchgear to prevent the bulk of this "spike" from reaching installations (your home etc).

Since many H.V. lines are fed from more than one source (such as a "ring main"), momentarily opening switchgear will place more load on other feeders causing voltage to drop until the affected switchgear is reclosed. Typically switchgear will automatically reclose up to 3 times with a 1 - 3 second delay.

This is why your lights may flicker (voltage drop, "brown out" etc) or even go of for a couple of seconds in an electrical storm.

Ok thanks for clearing that up, I was wandering what was going on.

reply to post by mb2591


No worries. Finding answers to questions residing outside the box is what this site's for! Never stop asking questions and thinking for yourself. Not enough people do this.

lightning moves at light speed but as it travels through the air it super heats it instantly to around 50000 degrees within a foot or two of its pass as air is super heated and expands it generates sonic boom that is where you get thunder. if lightning hit power grid it might cause the flicker .since it as traveling at speed of light you would see flicker before you heard thunder

Originally posted by CLPrime
Running a wire of some sort parallel to power lines draws power from them because current in a wire generates a magnetic field around that wire. Interaction with the magnetic field around power lines induces the flow of electricity in the parallel line (so long as the line is moving in some way).

However, the amount of power you can derive is miniscule. It has to do with the sixth power falloff at a distance of the power density of an h-field. Not to mention, you've got a small fractional turn low frequency transformer with a huge air gap - the coupling is atrocious. You can't "run your house" from that sort of thing, but you could see it on an oscope.