The problem of providing the population and industry with electricity is now one of the most pressing, especially since the world is faced with a paradox of needs: the whole world society is leaning towards a sustainable development strategy to save the planet (all environmental projects are being implemented under this strategy), but with it growing global electricity demand. And since humanity, by its very nature, places short-term gains in priority, the prospect of saving the Earth to our children becomes endangered. We are actively depleting coal, oil, and gas to meet our needs. Despite the lesson given to us – the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, we continue to use hazardous atomic energy.

For this, there is a way out for a long time – alternative energy sources. Wind power, solar panels, hydropower plants, bio-fuels …

Many countries provide themselves fully and even export energy received from renewable sources (the Netherlands, Chile). But their implementation is so expensive and time-consuming that the replacement of old methods by them is too slow. The reason for this is also natural factors, which do not allow to receive energy in this way.

Electronics in standby mode annually wastes electricity for 80 billion dollars. New sources of electricity – one of the most important and relevant areas for humanity.

Developments in this area are ongoing, because the current alignment cannot suit us. And who would have thought that a tenth-grader from the small town of Alexandria, Kirovograd region, would say a new word in this direction.

With his project to extract electricity from the air (!), Ukrainian teenager Samuil Kruglyak first won the international stage of the competition of scientific and technical creativity Intel ISEF 2015, and then took the bronze at the Olympiad of geniuses in Oswego (USA). For the victory, the Ukrainian competed with two thousand young inventors from around the world.

The essence of technology:

Thunderclouds contain enormous reserves of energy. It is the most natural, safe, cheap and ecological. Young scientists have developed a scheme for the extraction of electricity from the atmosphere from an ionized cloud due to a strong electric field, which will be radiated by an ionizing tower.

This happens due to a strong electric field, which is emitted by an ionizing tower 50 m high. Charged particles are accumulated by electrodes up to 150 m high, in which one end is grounded and the other rises freely. The charge received from the air is deposited on the electrodes and releases an electric current. Through voltage transformers electricity is sent to consumers.

This electricity will be cheap: one kilowatt will cost only (0,03 UAH)0,0107 USD!!!!!. Among other things, the project “Getting electricity from the atmosphere” will help save millions of dollars nationwide.

How did the idea come about?

As the inventor himself tells, the idea came to him in a dream, and the teachers of the Small Academy of Sciences (a division of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine) helped to embody it.

According to the teacher Svetlana Pesochnaya, the mini-model of the facility was assembled in the Kiev laboratory and is already working effectively. She also adds that with the help of the invention of Samuel Kruglyak, water can also be mined. This fact can not but rejoice, because with the help of one technology – one invention, two problems can be solved at once: the lack of drinking water and electrical energy for the underdeveloped regions of the world.

“Such an installation costs a penny, but it’s worth millions. Imagine: if it were launched, we could provide the Kirovograd region with electricity by 82%,” the teacher comments.

Future of the technology

The second stage of the project implementation is already planned in Alexandria, where instead of a generating tower a pipe of an abandoned CHP-1-2 can be used, but this requires significant funds from sponsors.

Unfortunately, the scientific and technological sphere of the economy of Ukraine is not funded well enough to realize its full potential. The inventor found recognition for his invention abroad, namely in the USA. In the same place, he won a grant for free education at any university and, although he dreams of returning to Ukraine, he may well remain there and work for American science.