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Lightning Strikes Again

Can we collect electricity from lightning?

Is it possible to get power from lightning? This was the first CrowdScience question posed by listener John Emochu in Kampala, Uganda, in November 2016. We revisit John’s story as presenter Marnie Chesterton goes hunting for answers at a lightning lab in Cardiff, Wales, where she discovers just what lightning lab is, and how to make a tiny – but very loud – lightning bolt. And we tackle the best of the many questions that came into our inbox about thunderstorms after the original broadcast – from how many types of lightning exist to whether antennae in the clouds could gather electricity. Finally, we head to Kampala to meet listener John to hear just what he thought of the programme and what life is really like in one of the lightning capitals of the world.

Do you have a question we can turn into a programme? Email us at crowdscience@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Marnie Chesterton
Producer: Jen Whyntie

(Image: Artist impression of lightning inside a conical flask. Credit: Getty Images)

Available now

35 minutes

Last on

Mon 14 Aug 2017 13:32GMT

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Broadcasts

  • Fri 11 Aug 2017 19:32GMT
  • Sat 12 Aug 2017 22:32GMT
  • Sat 12 Aug 2017 23:32GMT
  • Mon 14 Aug 2017 02:32GMT
  • Mon 14 Aug 2017 04:32GMT
  • Mon 14 Aug 2017 06:32GMT
  • Mon 14 Aug 2017 13:32GMT

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