Steven LeRoy has shocking dreams. Some may even call them electrifying. He has developed a way to harvest lightening as an alternative power source. But it seems that he isn’t the only one sizzling over his invention. Alternate Energy Holdings is out to attack his research to benefit their bottom line.

After majoring in electrical engineering and mathematics he worked for several Fortune 500 companies as a technician. Later in his career he took up a research and development position. That is, until an epiphany hit him in 2002. An experience led him to believe in lightings’ potential to produce energy. His provisional energy patent was filed in 2003.

JK: How much energy can be produced by a bolt of lightening?

SL: No one really knows the exact figure on how much power lightning can convey into stored energy. Estimates range wildly. I’m sticking middle of the road, estimating a minimum of 10-20 megawatt hours for a weak to average strike. Other aspiring lightning wranglers give much higher estimates.

JK: How many homes will it power and for how long?

SL: The average power draw of most homes is 5 kilowatts continuous or less.

JK: Based on that logic, if a bolt has a 15 megawatt charge it would power 3,000 homes for an entire day. How will that energy be converted and stored?

SL: Storage can be in a number of different ways. I prefer the custom made trailer size capacitors that have been quoted for me by an overseas manufacturer. Originally I intended to use a ring oscillator of 6 35 kilowatt vacuum tubes to convert to phase corrected sinusoidal power. Now I favor solid state UPS on a low voltage block to block basis. Power cables at 230VAC can be very safely buried.

JK: Has anyone every tried to convert the power of lightening into energy before?

SL: To my knowledge, there are no actual lightning plants on line as of yet.

JK: How does your research differ from previous attempts? What makes you think that your method will be successful? Has it been properly field tested?

SL: My research is based on a small scale prototype, and if I had the funds I would first set up a mobile strike facility in a farm field just to take measurements. The lightning would be triggered with a cathode ray device scanning the lower atmosphere with a flood of electrons. The strike towers would be lowerable and short about 20 feet high surrounded by induction coils.

JK: Are capacitors the right answer? How do they vary from other methods of energy storage?

SL: Capacitors are fast charging and there is a way to delay the current surge over the R/C time interval to allow full charging. Voltage regulation would be employed along a voltage divider series. Some suggest superconductors for storage, but this requires cryogenic cooling and is very costly. The heat of adding the power to the superconductor without a delay circuit would boil off the liquid helium I’d guess. But thats just my opinion. Ionized gas tubes should be explored too.

JK: I understand you were applying for a grant in order to further your
research. That was until Alternative Energy Holdings had some negative things to say about your research. Why do you think they attacked your research? Do you think it simply came down to the bottom line?

SL: I have suspended my grant application due to the negative and vengeful PR spin by Alternate Energy Holdings. Everything in R&D on their website was created by me, but they claim it as their own research discovery. Of course it has to do with protecting their bottom line. I currently have an attorney working on this matter.

JK: What was your original motive in the creation of this technology?

SL: My original motive was to provide an experimental source of clean renewable energy. I am also focusing on regenerative superconducting transformers. I see real potential there, too.

JK: How will you proceed from here? What plans, if any, do you have to further research? Do you think you’ll continue in the field of alternative energy or move onto something else?

SL: As far as staying in the field of development, I have a civil matter to settle before I can proceed further. No one would want to be deliberately slandered. I have applied for apx. 20 patents since 1977, starting in energy field in 2002-2003.

JK: Thank you for sitting down with me and discussing your research in detail. Although it is disheartening that your old firm has been working against you, we hope to see the science and technology come to its full fruit at some point in the future. We’re long past due on an energy source that is clean, efficient and natural.

SL: Thank you, Jerad, for giving me an arena where I could speak openly. Just a further note to your readers, I am not accepting further investment funds at this time. Thank you for your generosity.

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