The makings of a very bad idea...

[Bob Bruhns]

I think a windmill would be a better way to get energy from wind. But 
skyborne plasma current might be a source of power.

One station engineer decided to experiment with a tower having the 
dandelion-looking lightning brushes that are sometimes mounted on such 
radio towers, and he said he saw a current of 2 amps for ten minutes 
during a storm.

If so, how much current might be delivered to a storage cell, or a load, 
at 100,000 volts?  The effective voltage of a storm cloud should be much 
greater than 100,000 volts, so maybe the current would be essentially 
unaffected.  But if so, that would be 200,000 watts from a little brush.

That 2A was only for ten minutes.  Those brushes are supposed to reduce 
lightning strike probability, but still...  If it wasn't so darn 
dangerous, I would try this, and see what kind of current is delivered 
into various loads during storms and at other times.

    Bob, WA3WDR