Based on very little research I have an idea how tesla coils work and if you're able to create electricity out of the free flowing electrons from Earth and we already have a capacitor inside of the coil then what is keeping us from attaching an output and using the coil as a voltage source? Its my understanding that the coil ramps up the voltage to around 10,000 V to create the arcs of lightning. Why can't we use less rotations of the coil inside to ramp the voltage up to a safer level then us connect it to various electronic equipment that would then ramp down the voltage to a usable level? I know this could be a dumb question because if it could have been done then someone long ago would have made it possible but I'm just having a tough time understand why it isn't possible. Thanks guys!

 

please study tesla coils more, this is not a use for tesla coils, they dont provide energy. they work on raising voltage by use of resonance, not supplying it.

 

Even if the electronics were to work, there is a fatal flaw in your understanding. Tesla coils do not create electricity out of the free flowing electrons of the Earth. A large source of energy is required to be input to the coil to generate the arcs. Without having to do any calculations, the amount if energy lost in the transfer you're proposing makes this a very wasteful/ inefficient process.

 

I think the OP has merely used the wrong term. He doesn't mean Tesla coil. I forget what they are called, but there are a number of devices that can "harvest" small amounts of power from ambient voltage differences. The problem with all of them is that the energy available is tiny and diffuse, even though an impressive spark can sometimes be generated.

To do something useful like lighting a lightbulb, you'd need a huge collector, perhaps with large plates separated on a tall tower. It's just not worth it when you can instead harvest wind or solar instead.

 

Ok yea, based on what I have read here and what research I did in the meantime I realized how inefficient and how flawed my understand of Tesla coils was. I see now that it is not feasible or even really an option to pull power from a Tesla coil. I had just done some quick research and was intrigued but spoke before really having a grasp on everything. Thanks guys!