Airborne wind turbines

Airborne wind turbine

In the past, US Infrastructure has talked about super-wind turbines which combine kite technology and turbines in order to harness high-altitude winds. However now a US company has gone on step further and developed airborne wind turbines which utilise aerial structures to tap stronger winds at great heights.

Developed by Joby Energy Inc, the idea of airborne wind turbines had previously been dismissed as 'technically non-viable' due to the difficulty of harnessing high-altitude wind. However today, technically-advanced materials and innovative computer know-how have resurrected the concept.

Although only a computer simulation at this stage, Joby Energy's idea calls for a multi-winged kite-like structure to fly up to 2,000ft high tapping the wind found at that height. The DC power produced is then transferred to the ground via a tether where it is converted into AC power at an electricity station and transferred to the power grid.

The inventor of this airborne wind turbine machine, Mr. Bevrit, was quoted as saying, "Operating at five times the height of a conventional turbine increases both wind speed and consistency resulting in more power, more often."

He is not wrong.

The science backs up his claims with statistics stating that tropospheric winds carry potential to produce 870 terawatts of energy. Currently the global demand is only 17 terawatts.

While 2,000ft may seem a bit low, this limit has been implemented by the US Federal Aviation Administration who fear if the devices are any higher, they'll cause problems for aircraft. But what about potential problems for the airborne wind turbines? What if the wind stops? Do they crash to Earth?

To elevate such concerns, Mr. Bevrit stated that the structures can be grounded in extreme weather conditions, and they also feature multiple motor designs to circumvent motor failure and on-board stand-by batteries to land the system in case of tether malfunction. Trials are underway at the moment.

There are other airborne wind turbines that are also being developed including power kites developed by Kitegen, Magenn Power's Air Rotor System called (MARS) that uses a helium filled blimp design and Sky WindPower that boasts flying electric generators. With such potential, it is no surprise that so many companies are aiming high in order to try and fully utilise this mega source of clean energy.

Relevant articles:

Superturbine: Taking wind power to new heights | Is wind energy the future? | Is wind power being blown off?

Timon Singh

Timon Singh is a graduate of Liverpool University where he received a degree in Social and Economic History. He has previously worked for BBC Magazines on BBC Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine, the publication for the popular genealogy show.

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