Comments on: High-Altitude Winds Hold Sky-High Promise for Meeting Electricity Needs http://cleantechnica.com/2009/06/16/high-altitude-winds-hold-sky-high-promise-for-meeting-electricity-needs/ Clean Tech News & Views: Solar Energy News. Wind Energy News. EV News. & More. Mon, 29 Dec 2014 18:23:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.1 By: Closer to the Sun: Satellite Solar is Out of This World : CleanTechnica http://cleantechnica.com/2009/06/16/high-altitude-winds-hold-sky-high-promise-for-meeting-electricity-needs/#comment-6656 Thu, 18 Jun 2009 23:04:50 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=2653#comment-6656 […] This is a notch up from high-altitude wind turbines. […]

]]> By: SamH http://cleantechnica.com/2009/06/16/high-altitude-winds-hold-sky-high-promise-for-meeting-electricity-needs/#comment-6655 Wed, 17 Jun 2009 23:25:13 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=2653#comment-6655 The tether/power cable is a technical problem that gets less problematic as you increase the scale.

You could even use a hollow tube as a microwave energy guide for near-wireless power transfer.

The big thing I see as a drawback would be the impact on air travel. The area around the cables would have to be no-fly zones.

]]> By: SamH http://cleantechnica.com/2009/06/16/high-altitude-winds-hold-sky-high-promise-for-meeting-electricity-needs/#comment-23092 Wed, 17 Jun 2009 23:25:00 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=2653#comment-23092 The tether/power cable is a technical problem that gets less problematic as you increase the scale.

You could even use a hollow tube as a microwave energy guide for near-wireless power transfer.

The big thing I see as a drawback would be the impact on air travel. The area around the cables would have to be no-fly zones.

]]> By: SamH http://cleantechnica.com/2009/06/16/high-altitude-winds-hold-sky-high-promise-for-meeting-electricity-needs/#comment-23093 Wed, 17 Jun 2009 23:25:00 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=2653#comment-23093 The tether/power cable is a technical problem that gets less problematic as you increase the scale.

You could even use a hollow tube as a microwave energy guide for near-wireless power transfer.

The big thing I see as a drawback would be the impact on air travel. The area around the cables would have to be no-fly zones.

]]> By: Jeff Kart http://cleantechnica.com/2009/06/16/high-altitude-winds-hold-sky-high-promise-for-meeting-electricity-needs/#comment-6654 Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:44:35 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=2653#comment-6654 @Mr. Sinister

Wireless energy. Good one. Thanks for the comments all. I figured the ‘tether from the sky’ line would generate some discussion.

]]> By: Jeff Kart http://cleantechnica.com/2009/06/16/high-altitude-winds-hold-sky-high-promise-for-meeting-electricity-needs/#comment-23091 Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:44:00 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=2653#comment-23091 @Mr. Sinister

Wireless energy. Good one. Thanks for the comments all. I figured the ‘tether from the sky’ line would generate some discussion.

]]> By: Mr. Sinister http://cleantechnica.com/2009/06/16/high-altitude-winds-hold-sky-high-promise-for-meeting-electricity-needs/#comment-6653 Wed, 17 Jun 2009 04:22:34 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=2653#comment-6653 Well, 30,000 feet is most certainly too high for a conventional power transmission cable. It would snap under it’s own weight. And surely no one is going to contruct a 30,000 foot tower on which to place conventional wind turbines. I don’t think our current state of materials engineering is up to a challenge of that magnitude.

Perhaps a modern, unmanned version of the lighter-than-air ship or a solar-powered glider? New technologies are starting to emerge that might make it possible to harness and deliver the energy collected by such a device back to the ground. Methanogenesis using direct current, for example, could allow electricity to be converted to methane and returned to the ground in storage tanks. Or perhaps one of the new emerging technologies for wireless power transmission using microwaves.

The key, of course, as with any energy harvesting technology, is whether you can get more out of it than you put into it. Only time will tell, I suppose, but it would be an exciting engineering challenge.

]]> By: Mr. Sinister http://cleantechnica.com/2009/06/16/high-altitude-winds-hold-sky-high-promise-for-meeting-electricity-needs/#comment-23088 Wed, 17 Jun 2009 04:22:00 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=2653#comment-23088 Well, 30,000 feet is most certainly too high for a conventional power transmission cable. It would snap under it’s own weight. And surely no one is going to contruct a 30,000 foot tower on which to place conventional wind turbines. I don’t think our current state of materials engineering is up to a challenge of that magnitude.

Perhaps a modern, unmanned version of the lighter-than-air ship or a solar-powered glider? New technologies are starting to emerge that might make it possible to harness and deliver the energy collected by such a device back to the ground. Methanogenesis using direct current, for example, could allow electricity to be converted to methane and returned to the ground in storage tanks. Or perhaps one of the new emerging technologies for wireless power transmission using microwaves.

The key, of course, as with any energy harvesting technology, is whether you can get more out of it than you put into it. Only time will tell, I suppose, but it would be an exciting engineering challenge.

]]> By: Mr. Sinister http://cleantechnica.com/2009/06/16/high-altitude-winds-hold-sky-high-promise-for-meeting-electricity-needs/#comment-23089 Wed, 17 Jun 2009 04:22:00 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=2653#comment-23089 Well, 30,000 feet is most certainly too high for a conventional power transmission cable. It would snap under it’s own weight. And surely no one is going to contruct a 30,000 foot tower on which to place conventional wind turbines. I don’t think our current state of materials engineering is up to a challenge of that magnitude.

Perhaps a modern, unmanned version of the lighter-than-air ship or a solar-powered glider? New technologies are starting to emerge that might make it possible to harness and deliver the energy collected by such a device back to the ground. Methanogenesis using direct current, for example, could allow electricity to be converted to methane and returned to the ground in storage tanks. Or perhaps one of the new emerging technologies for wireless power transmission using microwaves.

The key, of course, as with any energy harvesting technology, is whether you can get more out of it than you put into it. Only time will tell, I suppose, but it would be an exciting engineering challenge.

]]> By: Mr. Sinister http://cleantechnica.com/2009/06/16/high-altitude-winds-hold-sky-high-promise-for-meeting-electricity-needs/#comment-23090 Wed, 17 Jun 2009 04:22:00 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=2653#comment-23090 Well, 30,000 feet is most certainly too high for a conventional power transmission cable. It would snap under it’s own weight. And surely no one is going to contruct a 30,000 foot tower on which to place conventional wind turbines. I don’t think our current state of materials engineering is up to a challenge of that magnitude.

Perhaps a modern, unmanned version of the lighter-than-air ship or a solar-powered glider? New technologies are starting to emerge that might make it possible to harness and deliver the energy collected by such a device back to the ground. Methanogenesis using direct current, for example, could allow electricity to be converted to methane and returned to the ground in storage tanks. Or perhaps one of the new emerging technologies for wireless power transmission using microwaves.

The key, of course, as with any energy harvesting technology, is whether you can get more out of it than you put into it. Only time will tell, I suppose, but it would be an exciting engineering challenge.

]]> By: Paul http://cleantechnica.com/2009/06/16/high-altitude-winds-hold-sky-high-promise-for-meeting-electricity-needs/#comment-6652 Wed, 17 Jun 2009 03:26:51 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=2653#comment-6652 The entire concept of high altitude wind generation is dependant on the development on till now none-existent technology. These companies all talk glowing about placing a couple of ton of wind turbine at 40,000 feet, that’s 7.5 miles (12 km) worth of large cross sectional power cable in addition to the tons of generator being hosted aloft.

These things are meant to be litter than air… LOL

Get in touch with reality, semi permanent stationary observation platforms at that altitude are still in the early development stages, let alone hanging a wind turbine and suspending several tons of cable off one.

]]> By: Paul http://cleantechnica.com/2009/06/16/high-altitude-winds-hold-sky-high-promise-for-meeting-electricity-needs/#comment-23086 Wed, 17 Jun 2009 03:26:00 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=2653#comment-23086 The entire concept of high altitude wind generation is dependant on the development on till now none-existent technology. These companies all talk glowing about placing a couple of ton of wind turbine at 40,000 feet, that’s 7.5 miles (12 km) worth of large cross sectional power cable in addition to the tons of generator being hosted aloft.

These things are meant to be litter than air… LOL

Get in touch with reality, semi permanent stationary observation platforms at that altitude are still in the early development stages, let alone hanging a wind turbine and suspending several tons of cable off one.

]]> By: Paul http://cleantechnica.com/2009/06/16/high-altitude-winds-hold-sky-high-promise-for-meeting-electricity-needs/#comment-23087 Wed, 17 Jun 2009 03:26:00 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=2653#comment-23087 The entire concept of high altitude wind generation is dependant on the development on till now none-existent technology. These companies all talk glowing about placing a couple of ton of wind turbine at 40,000 feet, that’s 7.5 miles (12 km) worth of large cross sectional power cable in addition to the tons of generator being hosted aloft.

These things are meant to be litter than air… LOL

Get in touch with reality, semi permanent stationary observation platforms at that altitude are still in the early development stages, let alone hanging a wind turbine and suspending several tons of cable off one.

]]> By: Max Kennedy http://cleantechnica.com/2009/06/16/high-altitude-winds-hold-sky-high-promise-for-meeting-electricity-needs/#comment-6651 Wed, 17 Jun 2009 02:33:17 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=2653#comment-6651 This particular high altitude concept is massively flawed. If the generator is at altitude a long heavy conductor is required to transmit the power to the ground. The more power, the heavier is the transmission cable, the more lift is required. High altitude is a feasible energy source but keep the generator on the ground.

]]> By: Max Kennedy http://cleantechnica.com/2009/06/16/high-altitude-winds-hold-sky-high-promise-for-meeting-electricity-needs/#comment-23083 Wed, 17 Jun 2009 02:33:00 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=2653#comment-23083 This particular high altitude concept is massively flawed. If the generator is at altitude a long heavy conductor is required to transmit the power to the ground. The more power, the heavier is the transmission cable, the more lift is required. High altitude is a feasible energy source but keep the generator on the ground.

]]> By: Max Kennedy http://cleantechnica.com/2009/06/16/high-altitude-winds-hold-sky-high-promise-for-meeting-electricity-needs/#comment-23084 Wed, 17 Jun 2009 02:33:00 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=2653#comment-23084 This particular high altitude concept is massively flawed. If the generator is at altitude a long heavy conductor is required to transmit the power to the ground. The more power, the heavier is the transmission cable, the more lift is required. High altitude is a feasible energy source but keep the generator on the ground.

]]> By: Max Kennedy http://cleantechnica.com/2009/06/16/high-altitude-winds-hold-sky-high-promise-for-meeting-electricity-needs/#comment-23085 Wed, 17 Jun 2009 02:33:00 +0000 http://cleantechnica.com/?p=2653#comment-23085 This particular high altitude concept is massively flawed. If the generator is at altitude a long heavy conductor is required to transmit the power to the ground. The more power, the heavier is the transmission cable, the more lift is required. High altitude is a feasible energy source but keep the generator on the ground.

]]>