Makani Energy Kite 50% more energy than conventional Wind Turbines

Source: www.google.com...

Google Inc owns Makani, a wind technology company. These kites circle like a bird overhead so not much of a bird killer. They produce 50% more power than your standard commercial wind turbine and require 10% of the material as the standard wind turbine system. It is pretty interesting technology so I am not surprised Google owns them. I can see these out in the boonies powering cell towers or remote services.

I had thought of using a kite as a "sky anchor" and once you had the kite up to a sufficient altitude so that it was stabilized you could send up a small wind turbine on the tether. It would probably have to be launched on a day to day basis...but it would be a fun project to try.

Hey OP, why don't you just go fly a kite....

Sorry, couldn't help myself.

Very nice find, S&F

~Namaste

This thread reminded me of something I read recently. It’s not something you see in the headlines often, but the idea’s been around since the early days of the space program or before. It’s only now that it’s implementation is beginning to look feasible. It’s called space-based solar power. Although it’s not there yet, it appears to be a possibility before mid-century.

The idea is to place a number of self-assembling satellites into geostationary orbit at around 20,000 miles distant. These satellites would have solar collectors that would capture sunlight, convert it to microwave energy, beam it down to collectors on Earth and then convert it to electrical energy. Supposedly it could produce greater output than conventional nuclear power plants. However, there remain some technological hurdles and cost factors yet to overcome. One thing that would concern me if we became dependent on it as a source would be, what if the satellites malfunction or get zapped by a CME (Coronal Mass Ejection)? But then, there’s still time to resolve those kind of issues.

If anyone’s interested, here’s a couple articles I read recently in WSJ and CNN.

Nice thread. I’m sure eventually we’ll get divorced from the fossil fuel industry. And not a day too soon...

a reply to: netbound

Lockheed Martin has solved fusion power, so I bet in the near future that will be powering most of America.

originally posted by: OccamsRazor04
a reply to: netbound

Lockheed Martin has solved fusion power, so I bet in the near future that will be powering most of America.

Wait... they "solved" fusion?

That's not what I heard... I heard that they are pursuing an idea... (emphasis mine)

The team believe they have found a new way of squeezing atoms together so they fuse and generate energy, in a small-scale magnetic device.

As a result, they aim to build a reactor a 10th the size of current approaches.

There is nothing concrete so far from Lockheed Martin being able to actually achieve fusion yet.

BUT... if they do in fact crack that nut, it will be a game changer and won't eliminate the practicality of cheaper ways to generate power. (ie - solar, wind, etc.)

~Namaste

a reply to: SonOfTheLawOfOne

It's just the same as the Makai Energy Kite, you don't need to invent it to make your stock grow!!

originally posted by: OccamsRazor04
a reply to: netbound

Lockheed Martin has solved fusion power, so I bet in the near future that will be powering most of America.

Not yet they haven't . They have an idea on how to create a generator that would fit on the back of a truck. It has not yet been built, so until it has this is just another idea NOT a solution.

The makani kite exists and has been tested and is thus 10 years ahead of Lockheed Martin. The next step is a small scale farm to determine the "in the field" true power output. I would not be suprised if they are building one right now....

I like the idea and it would be good to use in remote areas where you need a little electricity to live off the grid. I don't think it would be a good idea in most residential areas where if there is a malfunction and it falls out of the sky it could damage property or hurt someone.

Obviously these things work, and the principle is rather simple. These kites for all practical purposes don't resemble traditional kites but are rather tethered gliders with wind turbines attached where normal aircraft have props. (In theory motor/generators could even propel the platform to an altitude with more wind if it's too calm near the ground.) Maintenance is also much easier, instead of requiring somebody to take risk and harness themselves up to a lofty platform, you just reel the thing in and roll it into a hangar on the ground where it can easily be worked upon.

So why isn't this more popular yet? I think it's a regulatory issue. To safely make the best use of altitude range available and keep a high operating up-time, you need to secure restricted airspace. The U.S. not only sees a lot of commerical air traffic, but is dotted with general aviation fields. Getting up to 20,000 ft over your plot of land marked "off-limits" with the FAA probably isn't an easy thing to make happen. Compared to this, the more familiar style wind farms only need something like 1000ft, so anybody could fly over it unimpeded.

originally posted by: machineintelligence
Source: www.google.com...

Google Inc owns Makani, a wind technology company. These kites circle like a bird overhead so not much of a bird killer. They produce 50% more power than your standard commercial wind turbine and require 10% of the material as the standard wind turbine system. It is pretty interesting technology so I am not surprised Google owns them. I can see these out in the boonies powering cell towers or remote services.

If they could enclose those whirling blades somehow, then it would be an "Almost a complete no bird killer".

a reply to: SonOfTheLawOfOne

The aim to build a small unit is to me an indicator they have it. It will be probably 15 years before it is used commercially though if they do indeed have it (which I believe they do based on that announcement).