POWERING UAVS WITHIN VICINITY OF POWERLINES

An apparatus in which electric power is generated for an electrical load from differentials in electric field strengths within a vicinity of powerlines includes: a plurality of electrodes separated and electrically insulated from one another for enabling differentials in voltage resulting from differentials in electric field strength experienced there at; and electrical components electrically connected therewith and configurable to establish one or more electric circuits whereby voltage differentials cause a current to flow through the established electric circuit for powering the electrical load. Preferably, the apparatus includes a control assembly having one or more voltage-detector components configured to detected relative voltages of the electrodes; and a processor enabled to configure-based on the detected voltages and based on voltage and electric current specifications for powering the electrical load-one or more of the electrical components to establish an electric circuit for powering the electrical load.