3 ms·
This is cool, but I’m not seeing how this could be useful in unattended application. It will need relaunching on a regular basis, and will wear a lot. Even stri
by K0balt 5y ago
This is cool, but I’m not seeing how this could be useful in unattended application. It will need relaunching on a regular basis, and will wear a lot. Even string wears Internally just flying in the wind.
My guess is that except in some specific applications like winter use in polar regions, solar power will end up producing more energy for the same investment over time.
Cheap solar is hard to beat, and the new printable panels promise to make it even harder.
Solar is just a lot of energy compared it to kinetic sources. It’s counterintuitive.
A typical single solar cell from a panel (5 watts) does the work of lifting a 5kg weight 300m high every hour. It’s kinda mind blowing.
- Already__Taken 5y agohang it on tower so it never needs to re-launch
- aidenn0 5y ago> My guess is that except in some specific applications like winter use in polar regions, solar power will end up producing more energy for the same investment over time. Or energy generation at night and in cloudy areas.
- politician 5y agoYou could probably launch these over the top of an existing solar farm. It doesn't look like they will cast much shadow.
- dredmorbius 5y agoIt's the hard landings I'd worry about more than the shadows.
- heavenlyblue 5y agoI don’t understand the maths behind your last paragraph, can you clear it up please?
- EForEndeavour 5y agoRaising a mass of m = 5 kg by a height of h = 300 m under gravitational acceleration g = 9.8 m/s^2 represents an increase in gravitational potential energy of E = mgh = 14700 joules. Power is the movement of energy over time, measurable in joules per second, or watts. Moving 14700 joules in 1 hour = 3600 seconds represents 14700 J / 3600 s = 4 watts of power.
- pjs_ 5y agoIf your body was perfectly efficient at converting calories into gravitational potential energy, the calories in a single can of coke would be enough to carry you 1km into space
- mwint 5y agoIs there a rule of thumb for the true efficiency of that calculation? I.e if I drink one can of coke, how far can I climb a ladder on the energy I metabolized from it?
- Nasrudith 5y agoAutomated relaunching could handle the unattended part. As for applications perhaps it could work as a compliment to solar panels for deployable night time power generation? Given general trends of economies of scale, huge tower wind turbines perform better on a permanent basis but kites would be far more dispatchable and transportable in a casual way. Might be roughly similar in niche to a gasoline or diesel generator aside from the obvious limitations exchange (not burning fuel for power vs being usable indoors or underground with proper ventilation, smaller footprint).