A historic breakthrough was achieved in renewable energy technology as the world’s largest kite-based system for producing electricity was erected in Inner Mongolia. The massive air-based turbine that measures 5,000 square meters is a technological breakthrough in the conception of harnessing wind energy from higher altitudes. This newest technology may soon offer light to thousands of homes, with significantly reduced costs associated with conventional wind farms.
Revolutionary kite technology takes wing above conventional wind energy
This unique system of wind energy harnessing at high altitude was developed by the China Energy Engineering Corporation as a national, first-order project related to the research and development of atmospheric energy. The huge kite, with its parachute-like structure, flies above 300 meters, resulting in higher wind speeds compared to ground levels. During the testing phase carried out in Alxa Left Banner, Inner Mongolia, the system was able to deploy as well as retract.
During the testing, the lifting of such a huge kite with the use of helium balloons enabled measurements of tension properties and opening dynamics. Cao Lun, the national high-altitude wind project’s chief commander, affirmed that the experiment was successful in gathering necessary information for the design of the ladder-like wind energy system. Other testing phases involved the use of smaller-sized 1,200 square-meter kites.
Helium balloons enable precise altitude control and deployment testing
The deployment system relies on helium balloons that provide the necessary buoyancy force for lifting the large kite system to heights with favorable wind speeds for energy harnessing. With this technology, researchers are able to control the position of the kite system accurately, as well as assess its performance properties. However, the system was tested through successful deployment and retrieval cycles, which enabled researchers to gain relevant insights essential for further applications.
Economic benefits portend huge cost savings for alternative energy sources
The high-altitude kite system provides significantly better economic ratios than traditional offshore wind farms, with the potential of saving as much as 95 percent of the land use area and decreasing steel usage by some 90 percent. This technology may reduce the cost of electricity production for kilowatt-hours by as much as 30 percent, thus opening up the use of renewable energy sources for more people. A unit with a capacity of 10 megawatts would provide enough electricity to power more than 10,000 homes. It would annually deliver some 20 million kilowatt-hours.
Such cost savings come as a result of the use of light materials as well as reduced infrastructure compared to traditional wind farms that require huge concrete foundations as well as steel structures. With airborne wind turbines, there will be no use of heavy construction materials, which will greatly reduce investment costs as well as the cost of maintaining such infrastructure.
Such fiscal efficiency makes high-altitude wind energy projects preferred investment alternatives for developing nations compared to conventional infrastructure projects associated with renewable energy.
Global potential unlocks unprecedented renewable energy opportunities
The kinetic energy of high-altitude wind is a vast, unexploited resource, with estimates suggesting that the energy present in the wind in the atmosphere alone is sufficient, theoretically, to satisfy existing demand for energy more than 100 times over. Research carried out by the Carnegie Institution for Science, based in the state of Washington, shows the immense potential of this resource, with wind speeds and energy density much greater than found closer to the Earth’s surface.
The successful launch of the world’s largest kite with the capacity to generate power can be considered a turning point in the development of renewable energy, as this technology also assists in harnessing wind energy at a higher altitude. With this technology, not only will production costs become more economical, but the increasing demand for ‘clean’ or ‘pure’ electricity will also be fulfilled.
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