goda90 4 hours ago

> People have wanted to collect rain to create electricity, but that hasn’t worked on a large scale

It might be a useful effect for small electronics in damp environments where solar isn't a great option. Caves, rainforests, showers.

  • gustavus 1 hour ago

    https://what-if.xkcd.com/23/

    In short it won't be. Less than $100 in a century during the highest recorded rainfall in the US.

    • dsimms 1 hour ago

      I had totally forgotten about the rain generator item in that edition of What If! I think because it includes this gem:

      Q. What if you strapped C4 to a boomerang? Could this be an effective weapon, or would it be as stupid as it sounds?

      A. it's the second one. Aerodynamics aside, I’m curious what tactical advantage you’re expecting to gain by having the high explosive fly back at you if it misses the target.

      • oniony 1 hour ago

        Well it would gently encourage you not to miss.

hinkley 4 hours ago

Wonder if this effect happens at all with stone.

khelavastr 4 hours ago

protonated rain aka acid rain

phendrenad2 4 hours ago

So if I pour water onto a huge dome of metal, it might build up enough of a negative static charge to jump a spark gap? New science exhibit idea!

  • pfdietz 3 hours ago

    Water-driven electrostatic generators are really easy to build. The key is to have droplets separate at a point where there's an electric field, which causes the detaching droplet to carry a charge. Properly arranged this can cause an exponential increase in charge with time.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelvin_water_dropper