

Electromagnetic harvester gathers free electricity from thin air - bchar
http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/148247-german-student-creates-electromagnetic-harvester-that-gathers-free-electricity-from-thin-air

======
lutusp
This article is a well-meaning summary of a project the author doesn't
understand, and that cannot live up to its hype. Consider the following:

1\. There are any number of electromagnetic fields present in the atmosphere,
caused by power lines, radio transmitters, lightning, and many other sources.

2\. Notwithstanding the above, in a typical location, "harvesting" the sum of
all the fields cannot produce any useful power.

3\. There's an exception -- being located close to a commercial radio
broadcasting station or beneath power lines.

4\. In such locations, one might be able to harvest a small amount of power,
but one doesn't want to live in such a place because of the possibility of
long-term adverse effects of strong electromagnetic fields.

5\. The above risk is well-established enough that many governments require
warning signs near radio transmitters:

[http://www.satcoms.org.uk/satellite/forum/uploads/1/RadHazDo...](http://www.satcoms.org.uk/satellite/forum/uploads/1/RadHazDowload.jpg)

6\. The originator of this idea either does understand these issues, in which
case he's misleading people, or he doesn't, in which case he's misleading
himself.

