High-Altitude Wind Energy from Kites
I found this video on the TED website and found it to be quite astounding. Instead of using large, tri-blade, mono-pole design turbines, a simple kite-like design could be possible and quite beneficial. It's a brilliant idea because you can have a larger swept area and you can utilize the faster, higher altitude winds, which carry far more energy. The total power in the wind is related to the swept area, the velocity of the wind, and the air density (W=1/2pAV^3). So if the swept area and the velocity of the wind are increased, you are able to receive greater energy.
The graph on the lower left shows just how drastically power in the wind increases with altitude, and the y-axis only goes up to 150 feet. The graph on the lower right shows the cubic relationship between wind power and wind speed. I wish the video would have covered a little more of the technical aspects of the electricity generation itself, but all in all it was really interesting to see a childhood toy being used in place of a wind turbine.
*Graphs and equation taken from ENSC 220 lecture notes
I did an independent study on convective weather last spring, and I studied many graphs showing how wind changes with height, which is a crucial component of severe weather. I think that these projects sound really great, and it is true, you really do not have to go up much higher to find large amounts of wind that could create a substantial amount of energy. The only issue they might have to work out is that this wind gradient can change quickly and high winds would cause durability to be a factor. With the right technology, I could see this being quite successful.
ReplyDeleteI would be curious to learn how the technical side of that would work. It is interesting, though, as even wind farms now cause change of wind patterns and speed. So imagine how much sweeping of the wind would slow the wind, and lessen the efficiency of downstream generators.
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