Static electricity and electric current are fundamentally related but different. A good example of static electricity is lightning.
Lightning comes from the effect of stored positive and negative charges on the clouds.
Another way to generate static electricity is by rubbing two surfaces together. One surface develops opposite charges from the other and hence the surfaces tend to attract one another.
An old trick we used to do in school was to rub a ruler against your hair and use the ruler to attract small pieces of paper.
Nevertheless, it is worthwhile to mention that not all materials follow this modus operandi.
On the other hand current electricity is found in a circuit that would normally have the source of charges as the electricity power source and some load such as a light bulb. The flow of this charges through the wires is referred to as electric current.
The electric power source could be a battery, generator or the mains power provided by the utility company. It does not matter their sizes, as long as there is the flow of charges within a conductor even at the minute level of electronics, electric current is generated.
Now, static electricity can be converted to electric current if a suitable conductor was to provide a path for the positive charges to flow to the negative charges or vice versa.
When the flow of charges is realized, we now have electric current.
But this flow will be limited as there is no constant supply of the negative and positive charges. Consequently we observe that this is a momentary phenomena.
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Uses of Static Electricity
The above does not mean that there is a lack of utilization of static electricity. Even though it is difficult to harness the power of lightning and put it to value.
But despite that, static electricity has found application in printing, photocopiers and painting.
The flip side of static electricity is when charges are discharged suddenly, for instance in the case of lightning, it can cause sparks and fires. This is a significant hazard in the petroleum or ethanol handling businesses.
To counter this, anti static devices and tools have been created to minimize the risk of static charges buildup.
Is Static Electricity Dangerous?
Static electricity is dangerous. Despite years of best practices, static electricity incidents continue to occur.
If you touch a surface that has accumulated electrostatic charges, you will get an electric shock. How severe the shock is depends on the levels of accumulated charges.
Additionally, static buildup and transient discharge of charges has been known to cause sparks that if in the presence of flammable material such as petrol can result in fire.
In other extreme cases, individuals wearing pacemakers are considered to be at high risk in areas where static electricity may accumulate and discharge.
One of the recommended measures is to identify situations and areas with potential static electricity and assure yourself that a suitable earthing, bonding or grounding is in place.
We know lightning can cause severe power surges.
Earthing will help safely transfer any unwanted build up charges to the ground, to a great extent eliminating the likelihood of sparks consequently fires.
Conclusion
Although static electricity is different from electric current, both carry with them significant risk to individuals and property if not well managed.
Developing knowledge and understanding is one of the keys to successfully mitigating these risks.