The invention is a sheet metal (top) place high above the ground. The sheet of metal is connected to a capacitor (the ⊔⊓ shapes) connected to the Earth. (The other stuff on the right of the image is a load intermittently driven when the charge on the capacitor rises high enough.)
When I asked my question, I was confronted with the following statement. Your question has been identified as a possible duplicate of another question. If the answers there do not address your problem, please edit to explain in detail the parts of your question that are unique. The other question is titled. Does Tesla's photoelectric “solar cell” really work? The first line is Tesla patented a device for gathering energy from light, using the photoelectric effect.
It should be noted that I looked at this question and studies the answers before I asked my question. In fact, I asked my question because I believe that "Does Tesla's photoelectric “solar cell” really work?" was not answered, and most of the answers are looking in the wrong direction. The device proposed in the patent works. Numerous experiments show that an electrode (metal plate) above the ground will generate electricity when grounded through a load. It also gathers energy at a high voltage if placed high enough. There is a Scientific American Amateur Scientist article on this topic and does this experiment. However, it is my opinion, and I believe most scientists' opinion, that the device does not gather its energy from the photoelectric effect. This was put forth by an answer by Carl Brannen for the question. He stated, “Finally, it seems to me that you're restricted to the voltage of the electrons, i.e. about 12.4 - 4 = max photon - aluminum = 8 volts. I don't see how he got extremely high voltages. Maybe I misread it and he only got high charges (by waiting a long time). “ I agree with Carl Brannen. I believe that the energy that Tesla sees is from atmospheric electricity. Thus. I asked the question, “does Tesla’s invention collect energy from the sun through the photoelectric effect, or does it collect energy from atmospheric electricity the way any electrode place above the ground does, or does it collect energy both from the photoelectric effect and atmospheric electricity?
I then go on and ask the more pertinent question. Does the field around the plate affect the positive charge left behind on the plate by the emitted electron? Does the positive charge raise to the voltage that the atmosphere has induced on the plate? This is pertinent because it will further the understanding of electrostatics and would, if the field does affect the positive charge on the plate, make Tesla’s device more commercially viable.
The patent says the invention collects energy from the sun. My question is, does it collect energy from the sun through the photoelectric effect, or does it collect energy from atmospheric electricity the way any electrode place above the ground does, or does it collect energy both from the photoelectric effect and atmospheric electricity?
Tesla states that the capacitor is charged to a high voltage. In the photoelectric effect, the electron emitted would be at most 12 electron volts. The electron would flow away from the plate due to the field around the plate. However, does this affect the positive charge left behind on the plate by the emitted electron? Does the positive charge raise to the voltage that the atmosphere has induced on the plate?
