- IMT Enugu graduate invents thunder lightning inverter
- Emma Scientist says lack of electricity supply led to his invention
- The multi-faceted project will involve Germany, US, others
Emmanuel Obayagbona is a young man who believes in Napoleon Hill’s saying that whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.
In 2004, when he was still in Primary school, he made an invention to the fact that the perennial power outage in Nigeria can be solved with a strike of thunder lightning. Much as this sounded unrealizable, Mr. Obayagbona went further to build prototype of the project.
Recently, WITHIN NIGERIA caught up with him shortly after the burial of his mother and had an exclusive interview with him where he threw more light on how the project works.
His biography
Giving his biography, Mr. Emmanuel Obayagbona began by stating that “My Name is Obayagbona Emmanuel Imafido. I am from Edo State Benin City but was born and bred in Warri, Delta State.
“I was born into the family of Mr and Mrs. Henry Obayagbona. We are Eight in our family Six(6) girls and Two(2) boys of which I’m the Fifth Child in my family.
“I did my Nursery, Primary School at Delta steel company limited Nursery and Primary School 1 Orhuwhorun located in Warri Delta State and did my Secondary school at “Challenge Academy Secondary School where I was awarded a Scholarship throughout my Secondary school due to my Invention Prowess”.
“There after I gained admission into the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT) Enugu State where I studied Electrical Engineering ( Power option ).
“While at IMT Enugu Emmanuel Obayagbona was given another Scholarship by his HOD “FMNSE Engineer Lady Uchenwa Ujam” of the Electrical Engineering Department IMT Enugu.
What motivated me to go into power generation was the epileptic power supply going on in Nigeria since when I was in Primary School.
“This project is feasible and can be built. Just that the materials are not locally sourced here in Nigeria. They will be sourced overseas and some will be specifically designed by the British, Russian, USA, or Germany.”
In the beginning
Emma Scientist as he is popularly called graduated from the department of Electrical/Electronics of the institution.
He is the inventor of the idea of Generating constant Electricity for Africa using a strike of thunder lightning which can serve for 5 years and 30 days.
Scientist Emma is unarguably one of the fastest rising Scientists in Africa, Little wonder why his findings were widely published in journals of over 120 Countries through the carbon capture report Chicago USA and in Some National and International Journals.
How Thunder lightning energy converter for Africa countries works
According him, “this vision started on 1st October 2004. Though it was not immediately manifested, it was a vision that kept on knocking on my consciousness as to the possibility of the project.”
Explaining further, Emma Scientist told our reporter that “the thunder lightning energy converter is a power generating plant that can trap a strike of lightning, harness it and convert the current from static energy to current energy for 5 years and 30 days per strike of lightning in other to power the whole of Africa for 5 years and 30 days per strike of lightning energy.”
However, wading off the possibility and workability of the invention, Emma stated that, “before I go further there is a question I will like to ask. Is there any Power more powerful on earth than Thunder Lightning? Again, is there a year thunder lightning does not strike? I leave those questions for you to answer.”
Explaining, the Edo-born Scientist said that “Thunder lightning comes with an average power of 20 billion Watts and it also comes with an average voltage of 330Mv (Mega Volts).”
Components of the converter
Emma told WITHIN NIGERIA that “Thunder Lightning Occurs 140 Million times per year Globally. In Asian Continents, It occurs between an average period of 80million to 100million Times per year.
“The Thunder lightning Energy converter comprises the following; the trapping Zone, the Storage/Harnessing Zone, the Sensoring Zone, the X Zone and the Transmission Zone.
“The Trapping Zone comprises lightning arresting with a resistance filter. It comprises two zones the first zone will trap a huge amount of charges from the lightning and supply some of the charges to the second zone.
“The second zone will filter a maximum of 5Mv (megavolts) and supply the current to the harnessing zone. The harnessing zone will store the current for 8828 hours which is a year and seven days but there are going to be five storage zone which will be capable of storing the current for 5years and 30days.
Then through the help of the Sensoring zone, It will discharge 1Mv (Megavolts) from the storage or harnessing zone and dissipate the current to the X zone, which I will not talk about.”
Explaining further he said “The 1Mv charge will then be distributed to the transmission zone which is made up of 5 high tension step-down transformers.
“The first high tension step-down transformer will step down from 1Mv to whatever the country needs but I suggest that we step down from 1Mv to 330kv then the second high tension transformer will step down from 330Kv to132Kv, then the third high tension transformer will step down from 132Kv to 33Kv then the fourth high tension transformer will step down the 33Kv volts to 11Kv then the fifth high tension transformer will step down the 11Kv to 415V.
“But from the first high tension step down transformer, the current can be distributed to national grid.
“I intend to achieve this African invention through the help of the federal government, private individuals, international bodies, and working with like-minded people.”
Materials needed for the project
According to Emma Scientist, materials needed for the thunder lightning energy converter are as follows:
Lightening Arrestors with resistance filter, 400-meter high mast, High-level energy bank, industrial super capacitors Sensors, Static Electricity to Current Electricity industrial converter and High tension step-down transformers”
In his explanation, “People needed to join me for this research are as follows: The Geographers, The Astronomer, The Instrumentations and Control Engineers, The Metallurgical Engineers, The Electrical Engineers and The Mechanical Engineers.
Others include, Quantity Surveyors, The Materials Engineers, Civil Engineers,
Chemical Engineers and Safety Companies.
Asked how much the project will cost, he stated that “for now, nobody can determine exactly how much that can be used for the project. However, whatever it will cost to build the project is worth the financial expenses. This is because it is a life time investment.”