Re:Free Electricity (Score 2, Informative)

Here's a NASA article on ProSEDS - a shuttle experiment to generate power by dragging a conductive tether through the upper atmosphere. In the initial experiment, the tether generated twice the predicted current, even though the tether didn't deploy properly. If I understand the physical principle behind it correctly, the higher the field differential between the ends of the tether (i.e, the longer the cable), the higher the current generated. A tether extending over many kilometers would be an outstanding power source -- although it's difficult to predict all the possible environmental implications (still, much less than burning tons of fossil fuel everyday.) Also, as with a conventional dynamo/motor, by feeding electricity into the tether, you can use it for propulsion - raising or lowering a vehicle through the upper atmosphere without expending propellant.