[p2p-research] Kitegen Update

[Ryan]

  Sent to you by Ryan via Google Reader: Kitegen Update via Next Big
Future by bw on 9/14/09



Popular Science's most recent magazine (on newstands Sept ,2009) has a
brief two paragraphs which indicate that Kitegen is building a 3
megawatt system with 1500 square foot kite sail. This is scheduled to
be completed in 2011. This is 75 times larger power than a 40 kilowatt
demo system that was produced.

•max power: 40 kW
•lines length: 1000 m
•kite area: up to 20 m^2

The new system will have
•max power: 3000 kW
•longer lines
•kite area: up to 150 m^2

About 5 months ago, this site noted that kitegen had gotten funding for
larger project work and the developers indicated in the comments and
email that the funds had not been dispersed at that time.





Here is a 39 page presentation from May 2009 by Mario Milanese on
Kitegen.



OTHER HIGH ALTITUDE WIND PROJECTS

* Sky WindPower, S. Diego
* MagennPower, Ottawa
* Laddermill, Delft University

The winds in high-altitude jet streams hold roughly 100 times more
energy than all the electricity being consumed on Earth, according to a
study by Stanford environmental and climate scientists Cristina Archer
and Ken Caldeira.

High-altitude winds hold a huge energy potential waiting to be
harnessed. “If you tapped into 1 percent of the power in high-altitude
winds, that would be enough to continuously power all civilization,”
Caldeira said. In comparison, similar solar cells would cover roughly
100 times more area than a high-altitude wind turbine, he said.

Archer and Caldeira found the highest wind densities over Japan,
eastern China, the eastern coast of the United States, southern
Australia and northeastern Africa. Included in the analysis were
assessments of wind energy above the world’s five largest cities:
Tokyo, New York, São Paulo, Seoul and Mexico City. “New York … has the
highest average high-altitude wind power density of any U.S. city,”
Archer said.

In order to capture the energy in these jet streams, manufacturers are
developing a variety of kite turbines that convert kinetic energy in
wind to electricity. Manufacturer Sky WindPower designed a model
consisting of a single tethered kite of four connected turbines, each
with spinning rotors. The kite transfers the electricity back to a hub
on the ground through its tether.

Another model, being developed by Kite Gen, looks like a rotating
carousel, based on the ground, with several kites tethered to it. Each
kite’s flight pattern is controlled from the ground to capture the most
wind, and as the kites circle in the air, they catch the wind and tug
on their tethers. The tension triggers a pulley system that converts
the energy of motion to electricity.

Though sky-high currents offer huge potential, kite fliers face the
challenge of a fluctuating wind. “While the winds at high altitude are
much more consistent than the winds at the surface, they’re still not
consistent enough,” Caldeira said. For example, if you flew a kite
turbine in your backyard to power a house, at some times the wind would
blow and at other times, it wouldn’t, he said. As a result, there would
be gaps in the flow of electricity.







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