Kites Could Become Major Source Of Wind Power
The idea to use kites for wind power is nothing new, but a development at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands reminds us that we haven’t even begun to tap the potential of these flying contraptions.
A recent experiment performed by a team at the university used kites to create 10 kW of energy—enough to power 10 homes. This is a not a major breakthrough in and of itself, but the researchers plan to build a larger version of the project called “Laddermill” that would create 50 kW of energy. They eventually want to build a 100 MW version of their project. If successful, the expanded project would create enough power for 100,000 homes.
The kites are attached to a generator by a string. Power is created when the string is pulled and the generator turns as winds lift it into the sky.
According to Laddermill project leader Wubbo Ockels, kites are a cheap way to use energy higher up in the air, where winds carry more power due to high speeds (7 meters/sec). In contrast, turbines harvest energy closer to the ground, where wind speed is slower (5 meters/sec).
Unfortunately, Ockels predicts that the technology might not be brought to the market for a long time unless a large amount of money is made available. But if the kite generators do make it out of the lab, they may silence critics who complain about wind power’s detrimental effects on birds and scenery.
More Posts on Wind Energy:
- Wind-Powered Tall Ships Are Once Again Important As Oil Prices Hurt Trade
- New Jersey’s Wind Power Plan
- Texas To Build Wind Power Superhighway
Wind power, more likely by windmills will provide a large part of the answer to the energy crisis but If the U.S. had chosen to be a moral people, and leaving Iraqi oil alone, and following Al Gore, decided to develop the South Western deserts, with the technology of the times - solar/thermal-molten sodium - electricity installations, for the same amount of money as that war cost, ($650 Billion), today, we would be tapping into the largest, renewable, sustainable, energy source the world has ever known. It would have paid every energy bill in the U.S.A. for maintenance fees only - FOREVER! It would be equivalent to an oil field that can NEVER run dry! Low cost electric power, and storeable hydrogen gasoline replacement from the electricity, for all!
After the millions of murders, and $650 billions of dollars, borrowed from our children’s futures and pissed away, with thousands of our own and others maimed and disfigured for life, millions of families utterly destroyed, ours and theirs, we are no closer to Iraqi oil production than the Iraqis are!
The next time you hear a blithering idiot spoiled brat, drunken, drug addicted, sociopath, rich Arabic saber dancing daddie’s boy oilman, stand at a microphone and threaten YOUR safety with someone ELSE’S weapons, remember what you lost America, remember, and weep! (also see http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=a-solar-grand-plan)
This is a fantastic idea for harvesting wind. While I am a proponent of conventional horizontal axis turbines, this has some real potential! As the article notes–and what every sailor knows–’winds aloft’ are much stronger, and, more important, steadier, than winds on the surface owing to the influence of surface friction and structures, etc.
No doubt this is just part of the composite solution that will fuel our energy needs and help to save the planet.
Kites Could Become Major Source Of Wind Power | nerdd.net…
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Uncle B: Al Gore is a complete idiot. He has openly admitted in live interviews that he fabricated or embelished greatly 100% of the “facts” he gave in his “Inconvenient Truth”.
You really need to get off of your high horse and stop pretending you know what you are talking about. Throwing around childish insults like you just did achieves absolutely nothing.
People need to look at the facts. There is no proof that global warming is caused by humans or pollution whatsoever. I suppose you think we should stop using petroleum based fertilizers and let the world population starve as well.
You pretend to know what you are talking about but I bet you sued a computer that contains at least some plastic (petroleum) parts. I bet the food you eat everyday is produced using petroleum based fertilizers. I bet you have plastic (petroleum) utensils in your house. I think you get my point. Quit being a hypocrite and trying to point fingers because you are scared of the truth. You as much as I or anybody else is as much to blame for our dependance on oil. The sad part is you buy into the pure rhetoric purveyed by one Al Gore.
Did you ever stop to ask yourself why he pushes green technology so hard to the point where he will lie to scare people into buying into it?
Maybe you need to check out his publicly listed financial investments and realize he owns stock in almost every major green tech company in the country and even some oversees and has started an “investment fund” for these same technologies. Really interesting that the problem is “immediate” when he stands to make money from it. Your precious Al Gore is just as bad if not worse than the people you like to slam above. Maybe you should do some research into what the truth really is before you open your mouth and rant like a kindergartner.
Next thing you know we are going to have a group of psychpaths like PETA for global warming.
I wonder how long it will be until the lynchings start. Don’t get me wrong I think environmental awareness is important but at the same time using alarmist ranting and lying to scare people into believing the offering haphazard solutions does absolutely nothing to rasie awareness and fix the problem.
And by the way, wind power of any type is unreliable at best not to mention a plethera of other problems with it such as the amount of energy consumed to build a turbine or the damage done to the environment when mining the materials to manufacture said turbine just to name a couple. I work in the energy production industry and again, you should understand what you are talking about before you open your mouth.
That being said we will accomplish much more if we approach this in a sane, organized, non alarmist nature rather than having IDIOTS (yes I said idiot) like you running around hurling insults at people when you do not even know what you are talking about.
What exactly did you accomplish above?
Please forgive my above typos. I forgot to proof read :).
Now’s the perfect time to become a kite runner.
Uh huh… sounds like you Uncle B…
I call TROLL on Uncle B - go Troll somewhere else Mr. Douchebag Troll Person.
Best way to kill a Troll - Don’t feed it
Considering that only 2% of America’s electricity comes from oil, I don’t understand how kite’s or windmills or even nuclear power will make any big difference in our oil dependency. The problem is OPEC, and until we break their strangle hold over oil production, we will continue to have a problem.
Uncle B, you are correct sir! Enjoying martial law by any chance?