Harvesting Electric Power from High Voltage Overhead Power Lines?

[Blast it Tom!]

You guys are hilarious. Still, this is nothing like the time we rewound a large motor at Disneyland's Haunted Mansion. We recoiled in horror!

 

[K'Tesh]

You guys are hilarious. Still, this is nothing like the time we rewound a large motor at Disneyland's Haunted Mansion. We recoiled in horror!

You hung around there? I wouldn't have a ghost of a chance at that.

 

[K'Tesh]

You guys are hilarious. Still, this is nothing like the time we rewound a large motor at Disneyland's Haunted Mansion. We recoiled in horror!

I'll have to be direct... I love how your last sentence alternates between sparks and spooks!

 

[AtlPhilip]

until one day he shimmied up a power pole... He lost his right arm to the shoulder, and his left arm to just below the elbow

Not sure about the UK, but in the USA most distribution lines are 7.2-14.4KV and of a gauge sufficient to carry a frightening amount of current. It is not uncommon to find crispy crackheads who were trying to steal copper to sell.

 

[K'Tesh]

Not sure about the UK, but in the USA most distribution lines are 7.2-14.4KV and of a gauge sufficient to carry a frightening amount of current. It is not uncommon to find crispy crackheads who were trying to steal copper to sell.

Well, he was hit by good ole USA hydroelectricity... We went to school in Ashland, Oregon. It was bizarre to see someone I recognized on the other side of the pond who I didn't go to tech school with.

 

[jsdemar]

Y'all don't know what the flux you're talking about!

Most of the energy transferred in a power line is propagated in the electromagnetic field outside of the wires. Increasing the voltage increases the field strength and reduces the current and the resistive loss (as heat) in the conductor's surface (skin effect). The higher the voltage, the higher the transmission lines need to be above the ground due to losses in the rock & soil (and trees and cows and humans), depending on the 60Hz permeability and permittivity of the material. (This is why you don't see high voltage lines buried underground).

Electric fields are easily shielded (grounded metal enclosure). Magnetic fields are difficult to shield (see mu metal). A transformer couples an oscillating magnetic field via loops of wire, inducing a current on the secondary side. You can make a simple magnetic field sensor with a loop of wire using the leads on a multimeter in current mode. Wander around under power lines and see what happens. There are also cheap EMF meters on Amazon intended for 60Hz.

Power companies have sophisticated sensing and logging systems in their power transmission network. There's a nominal expected loss for a stretch of transmission line based on the installation and environment. If there's a detectable loss above that level, it is logged and may cause an alarm. Normal losses due to precipitation are expected. A continuous or intermittent drain could be a maintenance issue, or Mr Dumas with coils of wire in his attic running his hydroponic garden!

So, it's much easier, cheaper, and safer to steal energy from the Sun. And no chance of being locked up in the county Faraday cage!

 

[brockrwood]

Y'all don't know what the flux you're talking about!

Most of the energy transferred in a power line is propagated in the electromagnetic field outside of the wires. Increasing the voltage increases the field strength and reduces the current and the resistive loss (as heat) in the conductor's surface (skin effect). The higher the voltage, the higher the transmission lines need to be above the ground due to losses in the rock & soil (and trees and cows and humans), depending on the 60Hz permeability and permittivity of the material. (This is why you don't see high voltage lines buried underground).

Electric fields are easily shielded (grounded metal enclosure). Magnetic fields are difficult to shield (see mu metal). A transformer couples an oscillating magnetic field via loops of wire, inducing a current on the secondary side. You can make a simple magnetic field sensor with a loop of wire using the leads on a multimeter in current mode. Wander around under power lines and see what happens. There are also cheap EMF meters on Amazon intended for 60Hz.

Power companies have sophisticated sensing and logging systems in their power transmission network. There's a nominal expected loss for a stretch of transmission line based on the installation and environment. If there's a detectable loss above that level, it is logged and may cause an alarm. Normal losses due to precipitation are expected. A continuous or intermittent drain could be a maintenance issue, or Mr Dumas with coils of wire in his attic running his hydroponic garden!

So, it's much easier, cheaper, and safer to steal energy from the Sun. And no chance of being locked up in the county Faraday cage!

Faraday cage!

 

[Hobie1dog]

Y'all don't know what the flux you're talking about!

Most of the energy transferred in a power line is propagated in the electromagnetic field outside of the wires. Increasing the voltage increases the field strength and reduces the current and the resistive loss (as heat) in the conductor's surface (skin effect). The higher the voltage, the higher the transmission lines need to be above the ground due to losses in the rock & soil (and trees and cows and humans), depending on the 60Hz permeability and permittivity of the material. (This is why you don't see high voltage lines buried underground).

Electric fields are easily shielded (grounded metal enclosure). Magnetic fields are difficult to shield (see mu metal). A transformer couples an oscillating magnetic field via loops of wire, inducing a current on the secondary side. You can make a simple magnetic field sensor with a loop of wire using the leads on a multimeter in current mode. Wander around under power lines and see what happens. There are also cheap EMF meters on Amazon intended for 60Hz.

Power companies have sophisticated sensing and logging systems in their power transmission network. There's a nominal expected loss for a stretch of transmission line based on the installation and environment. If there's a detectable loss above that level, it is logged and may cause an alarm. Normal losses due to precipitation are expected. A continuous or intermittent drain could be a maintenance issue, or Mr Dumas with coils of wire in his attic running his hydroponic garden!

So, it's much easier, cheaper, and safer to steal energy from the Sun. And no chance of being locked up in the county Faraday cage!

Thanks for that informative answer, now I know .....the rest of the story

 

[Blast it Tom!]

Not sure about the UK, but in the USA most distribution lines are 7.2-14.4KV and of a gauge sufficient to carry a frightening amount of current. It is not uncommon to find crispy crackheads who were trying to steal copper to sell.

Used to happen around here all the time, switch yards and such for the abandoned mills, the crackhead thought they weren't in use, 60 hz hum conveniently ignored...

 

[bjphoenix]

The person had a Induction circuitry running the full length if the attic. It trickle charged the "storage system" 24/7/375. Then there was converters for his "power" to outlets etc.

It seemed to have affected time as well. 375?

 

[Tractionengines]

It seemed to have affected time as well. 375?

That's a special "leap year", not 1 but 10 extra days...

[ sorry my proofreader didn't catch the typing error ]

 

[Peartree]

Used to happen around here all the time, switch yards and such for the abandoned mills, the crackhead thought they weren't in use, 60 hz hum conveniently ignored...

It happened here a decade or so back when copper thieves tried to steal live connections at an "abandoned" shopping mall. Despite being empty, and the roof collapsing in places, the power was still live in case the owners wanted lights or heat or something.

Bzzzt.

 

[manixFan]

Danger! – High Voltage

(redacted link to music video on Youtube)

While the song title is appropriate, after watching it again, maybe not the best video to be associated with.


Tony

 

[cbrarick]

when i was in the Navy we were in Norfolk and a cat got into the shore power breaker. Talk about crispy critter!

 

[Rob Campbell]

when i was in the Navy we were in Norfolk and a cat got into the shore power breaker. Talk about crispy critter!

Sounds like he used up all nine lives at once.

 

[bjphoenix]

Is this for real?

If I can fill a capacitor this way, what is the EMF from the overhead power lines doing to my chromosomes?

https://hackaday.com/2024/01/27/har...high-voltage-transmission-lines-using-fences/

I happened across this video on youtube today. I wondered why he didn't build a step-down transformer to get the voltage down to normal levels and see what he could get.

 

[John Kemker]

After reading this thread, I decided to rock on to...

 

[K'Tesh]

After reading this thread, I decided to rock on to...

Oh... You



Glad to hear you weren't