In the article “Can a giant lazer control the weather?” ( mcGraw Hill) it discusses a 29.5 foot long lazer rod that weighs about 5 tons that might be able to control lightning strikes and possibly make its own or redirect them. The Lazer would take in the bolds and redirect them safely to the ground.
I think that this would be a good thing to accomplish because every year thousands of people are killed by lightning strikes. Lightning strikes also cause billions of dollars in repairs to infrastructure power poles and crops. By building this we could possibly stop all deaths that are caused by lighting strikes, I think that this would be a great thing to accomplish in the near future!
Nicole, this is an really interesting article, especially with lightning occurring in greater frequencies because of climate change. When I started reading your post and the article, I didn’t really see the need for this lightning pole. ‘Who needs a huge, ugly pole in the ground that is used once a year?’ That was until I saw the cost of lightning strike repairs; it blew me out of the water. Suddenly, lightning poles seemed like a great, cost-effective way to save lives and money! Very interesting, very cool. My thoughts also went to “Can we harness lightning for energy???”. Not really, according to MIT. But, maybe in the future. If you’re interested in this idea, you should check out this article – https://engineering.mit.edu/engage/ask-an-engineer/is-there-a-way-to-harness-electricity-from-lightning/ . Thanks for your post!
Alex, I am so glad you found my article interesting, I also didn’t see the need for a lightning pole until I stated reading about it! thankyou for your feedback!
Nichole-
This is really interesting technology you have shared with us! Did the author connect the need for this with wildfires that are caused by lightning? Also, did the author discuss who would pay for this technology?
Thank you for your post Nichole!
Ms. N.