Possible solar recharging of the earth's electric field

Summary Some of the materials comprising the earth's surface such as Fe₂O₃, TiO₂ and ZnO can be semiconducting, and with a shallow layer of water laying above to serve as the electrolyte, may constitute a rudimentary photo-electrochemical cell. We investigated the possiblity that holes created inside the semiconductor by sunlight could pull electrons from the atmosphere by inducing a lower redox potential in the water. The result, solar recharging of the earth's electric field, may be a non-negligible contributor to the entire recharging process.