The idea of harnessing cosmic rays came to Tesla when he was working on early developments in radioactivity, something he was doing prior to Roentgen, who later was credited with the discovery of X-rays. Tesla found that the sun was emitting a “peculiar radiation of great energy,” which he later determined to be cosmic rays. While others focused on cosmic rays from far off stars, Tesla noted that this was far outshined by cosmic energy coming from our own sun. He believed that the sun emits “a ray marvelous in the inconceivable minuteness of its particles and transcending speed of their motion, vastly exceeding that of light.” This ray, “by impinging against the cosmic dust generates a secondary radiation.” The energy was “relatively feeble but fairly penetrative.”
Could this cosmic, or radiant, energy be harnessed? Some thought so. In 1901, Tesla patented an “Apparatus for the Utilization of Radiant Energy.” The apparatus consisted of an antenna stuck high into the air and wired to one side of a capacitor and to an earth ground. The difference in potential would charge the capacitor, the oscillating output of which could be controlled with a switching device. Since energy comes from both the sun and “other sources of radiant energy, like cosmic rays,” the device would work both day and night.
Alas, while Tesla did claim to have harnessed cosmic rays, he lamented that, again, technological capabilities were not yet advanced enough to efficiently capture the cosmic force and use it as a reliable source of energy.
On the eve of his 76th birthday Tesla still hoped to build a large scale version of this “motive device.” Being able to do so would “eliminate the need of coal, oil, gas” as energy sources. Unfortunately for all of us, he recognized that circumstances were not favorable at the time. Today, engineers are still trying to figure out how to harness radiant energy.
[The above is extracted from my e-book, Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time, downloadable on Amazon]
David J. Kent is the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (2013) and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (2016) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.
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