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Does anyone know how effective high-altitude wind energy might be for producing energy at scale?
by sillysaurus 13y ago
Does anyone know how effective high-altitude wind energy might be for producing energy at scale?
- mc-lovin 13y agoMy understanding based on reading their materials, is that it is very similar to conventional wind power. "High altitude" here refers to around 600m, which disappointed me because I thought it would be an army of devices flying autonomously in the stratosphere, (I kept reading to figure out how they got the power back to earth, at which point I found out they were tethered, and not flying in the stratosphere). So they should be very similar to wind power, except that they are tethered, rather than a turbine on a tower. I think the main issue is how much space they use on the ground, i.e. how much space around the tether point needs to be kept clear. EDIT: apparently even wind at 600m is better at ground level. Furthermore, the system is not really a "turbine sitting on a wing". The wing is the turbine blade. It moves in a circle, and the propellers on the wing draw the power from it's motion. It's really an amazing idea that, the kind of thing I wish I had thought of. I think this page has the most interesting information. http://www.makanipower.com/why-airborne-wind/ http://www.makanipower.com/why-airborne-wind/
- shin_lao 13y agoI don't think it's the goal. This kind of energy is more interesting when you don't have access to the grid. It could also be used to fuel an engine.