Following successful experiments flying giant kites at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, kite power may become another lucrative tool in alternative power generation schemes.
The experiment, which harnessed wind energy by flying a 10-sq metre kite tethered to an electric generator, produced 10 kilowatts of power, enough electricity to power ten homes. Future versions of the kites could fly at a kilometer or more above the earth, where winds carry hundreds of times more energy than on the ground.
It is estimated that the total energy available in high altitude winds is 100 times the power requirement needed by everyone on the planet. Kites provide the means to tap into this lucrative source, as kites overcome major problems faced by land-based wind generators, namely the lack of wind speed at ground level. The kites could also be used offshore, which would overcome the visual pollution problem of fixed wind turbines.
Researchers also plan to test a 50kW version of their invention. Eventually, they hope to build a multiple kite installation which has the potential to generate 100 megawatts, enough energy to power a small city. An Italian company, Kitegen, has gone one step further and designed a theoretical system, consisting of 48 kites, which could potentially generate a gigawatt of power.
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Available power increases according to the cube of speed. Double the wind speed and the power increases to 8 times.
That makes it very appealing to get wind turbines high and away from the earth's surface friction.
Written in August 2008