Lightning in the sky - could it be captured?

First, I'll say that I'm terrified of lightning because it's so random and so potentially dangerous. I wish somebody would devise a foolproof system whereby lightning can be harness and utilised as energy. It could even save the planet! Many many years ago I clearly remember watching a programme on TV where some scientists thought they'd come up with an idea of how to harness lightning. They'd built a plant in France somewhere, which when a storm was imminent, would go into action and suck out the electricity from the clouds to store in underground chambers. We saw no more of the invention after that introduction to it on the TV programme. I'm wondering if maybe the idea didn't work at all? Also I'd imagine it would be very difficult to pinpoint most thunderstorms as there are so very many of them going on at various places on the planet, simultaneously. I think I read somewhere that a country in Eastern Asia has something like 330 days out of each year where they have a thunderstorm? I'd also consider it possible that the storage of the electricity from a storm would be very difficult. Again something I think I read somewhere - that in one single, standard lightning stroke, there's enough to power the whole of New York City entirely, for three days. Let's hope there's a bright scientist reading this who could invent working process for trapping and utilising the energy from lightning, then aside from the benefits of it providing us with all the electricity we need, those like myself could at long last relax during the summer months, free from the fear of thunderstorms. Interesting discussion and thanks for raising it!

i actully go out with my camroa and vidoe tape, it comes from the ground not the sky. my video i caught it and slow it down you can see if come up from the ground right next to my foot.. lol

If only they could harness the power of lightning, there would be no need for power plants. As it is, though, the technology for doing that has not been developed yet - maybe only in sci-fi movies. Mankind has been trying to catch lightning but still couldn't. Maybe we should wait a few more decades.

As for I know, lightning is created when the sky is in incomplete condition of molecule, weather positive or negative. Let's say it positive, so when it meets other part of sky that has negative molecule, it creates a phenomenon called lightning. My assumption is that the energy of lightning can be captured. We need its energy for many things, since this world is relying on fossil energy too much. My assumption goes simply beyond common folks's expectation because I read that scientist want to capture the energy of blackhole. If the energy of a blackhole can be captured, so why can't from lightning.