Static Powered Neon Lights

How does it work?The lamp contains a tiny amount of neon gas. The wires attached to the lamp are attached to two tiny electrodes inside the lamp. When a high voltage electrical current passes through certain gasses like neon, the gas gets excited and begins to glow. Many advertising signs use glass tubes filled with various gasses that produce light of different colors. For example, an orange glow is almost always produced by neon. When the glass tubes are filled with argon instead of neon, a pale blue glow is produced.
ref:
http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/product/14057

Turns a static charge into lightSure you‘ve seen static electricity at work: “static cling”, bad hair days, a shock from a door knob - but now you can put all of that “body electricity” to good use and light a small neon light bulb. Body static electricity can be in excess of 10,000 volts - but amperage is so low, it’s harmless!Hold on to one of the light bulb wires and walk across your carpet, dragging your feet as you go.. This builds up a charge of static electricity that discharges through the light bulb in your hand. You power the bulb! Try it in a darkened room to see the full glow. You need to generate static electricity (think enough to get a small shock when you touch something metal.) That is how the bulb works. If you generate a large enough charge, the bulb glows in free air. The winter is usually when your house is closed up and air has less humidity, so that is when the bulb is most effective. You can also place the un-held bulb wire next to the human-powered light bulb, BUT NOT TOUCHING a metal object like a lamp or TV. This allows the static electricity from the device to discharge from your body through the bulb.Electricity has never been more fun!

ref:
http://scientificsonline.com/product.asp_Q_cmc_E_HOME_PAGE_A_pn_E_3081446

By Andrew Liszewski
Who needs batteries to power a flashlight when human beings are able to generate in excess of 10,000 volts of static electricity? Not anyone carrying around one of these static powered bulbs, that’s for sure. Just hold onto one of the bulb’s wires and drag your feet as you walk across a carpeted floor. A static charge builds up and discharges through the bulb in your hand, causing it to glow.
The bulb works best in a darkened room, which is where you’d typically need a flashlight, but somehow I don’t see it replacing a Maglite anytime soon. Not only is it probably impossible to see where you’re going while using it, but you can’t exactly lay the smackdown on a home intruder with a couple of wires and a small bulb. (Unless the military has trained you to.) But it’s great as an experiment to keep the kids from shocking each other on a dry Winter day.
The static powered bulbs are available from Edmund Scientific for $4.95 each.
ref:
http://www.ohgizmo.com/2007/10/22/static-electricity-powered-light-bulb/