Wind turbines are the core of wind power, covering a very large, land lots. The blades are usually located at approximately 100 meters above the ground. High? Yes, but nevertheless, the wind speed at that height is not so great as in elevation of 6000 - 15 000 feet above ground level. The higher we climb, the greater the speed of the wind and is the more constant air flow. At this height, the wind speed exceeds the rate of 92 kilometers per hour, and sometimes reaches 400 kilometers per hour!
The researchers found that the most favorable regions for the collection of wind power are concentrated in the eastern United States and East Asia, including in cities such as Tokyo, New York, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Mexico City. And in New York, focused most dense wind streams - wind there faster than any other city in the United States.
Jet stream
Ordinary wind energy faces many obstacles, such as the volatility of the wind speed, the requirements for land and opposition of local residents. Altitude wind energy has a huge, long-term potential, but is faced with a variety of engineering and regulatory issues.Researchers have yet to find out how to safely suspend wind turbines at a height of tens of thousands of meters from the ground as to keep them airborne for a long period of time under strong winds and to avoid interference to aviation.
Although, to be solved many difficulties, high-altitude wind may ultimately become more simple and cheap way to extract energy from the wind than traditional wind power development. This situation can occur for the reason that there will be no need for the giant steel and concrete towers or turning mechanism which redirects the standard wind turbines with changes in wind direction.
Altitude wind power could be the cheapest source of energy in the world. And throughout the world, high-altitude wind power can meet the needs of the entire planet, having a low cost, using special systems capture the wind that will soar to altitudes where wind power is much higher than it is at ground level. High-wind flow is at a height far above us, and not enough towers height of only a few hundred meters, which have the classic wind turbines.
Australian scientist Brian Roberts has long been convinced that wind power at high altitude can be captured and used. He decided to prove it, and has long been demonstrated that the technology is "flying electric generator" (Flying Electric Generator - FEG) works in practice and should work at high altitudes. Brian Roberts and his colleagues have demonstrated that the Flying Electricity can efficiently generate electricity at low altitudes, but strong gusts of wind.
Render Flying electric generator
In an effort to benefit from the high-altitude winds, the company Altaeros Energies has developed a floating wind turbine - a cross between a traditional windmill and airships.After a series of successful tests, the team Altaeros confident that this new levitated wind turbine would be a viable option for clean energy in remote villages or military installations.
The design of high-altitude wind turbine Altaeros quite simple. Inflatable shell filled with helium raises it to a higher altitude where the winds are much stronger, rather than at ground level. Rise of the turbine are held by means of powerful wires through which electric power generated by the turbine will proceed back to earth. The prototype produced more than twice as much energy at high altitude than it would on a conventional wind turbine mast usual. Wind turbine that floats in the upper atmosphere produces very little noise, and if she needs treatment, it can be easily lowered to the ground for repair.
Demonstration of high-altitude wind turbine Altaeros Energies
The company Makani Power has developed a high-altitude wind turbine, which essentially is a huge kite to be able to use more energy potential from winds at high altitudes. Makani Power (Makani is Hawaiian for "wind") is one of several companies that develop kite to capture the wind high above the ground.
This kite is a 30-meter wing of carbon fiber, which are installed wind turbines. It is capable of flying at an altitude of between 250 and 600 meters above the ground and generate 600 kilowatts of power. The resulting energy is transferred to the mains through a long rope leading down to the ground or to the sea buoy. The kite will fly winding at a right angle to the wind, mimicking the way of rotating turbine blades, while the guides on the wing will control the flight path. By the way, the company in mid-2013 has gained giant Google, for its division Google X, which specializes in innovative projects.
Demonstration of fully autonomous flight altitude wind turbine Makani Power
Startup KiteGen of Turin has an approach that is different from the conventional methods of extracting energy from the wind - to generate electricity at high altitude, and then pass even with the help of ropes to the ground. Kite Gen approach is to leave all the generating equipment on the ground, saving weight in air of the structure, and instead pass the physical torsion rod on the rope from the kite to the ground for future electricity generation.
To take advantage of the increased kinetic energy of the high-altitude wind power project KiteGen begins with a radical change in the point of view on the principle of operation of the wind turbine. The project does not use static wind farms that are used to the classic wind, but instead it uses lightweight, dynamic and smart technology.
To extract energy from the wind at a height of about 900 meters, power kites are made semi-rigid and automatically piloted. All heavy equipment for the production of electricity is on the ground. To connect the air and ground systems, highly resistant cables transmit traction kites at the same time controlling their direction and angle relative to the wind.
The clear advantage of technology KiteGen visually you can see in the illustration above.The basic concept is comparable to the principle of operation of the wind turbine, whose most effective blade portion (in red) are encountered with the strong wind. However, with the technology KiteGen, conventional vane rotates only along a path, where the fastest air flow, while the generator remains on the ground. The resulting structure and the base portion is much easier and cheaper than traditional solutions. In addition, the working height can be adjusted according to the current wind conditions.
Test run KiteGen
Joby Energy Company is developing high-altitude wind turbine that will operate at very high altitudes. Mnogokrylaya their design supports the installation of a whole array of turbines. The turbines are connected to the motor-generator that produces thrust during takeoff and energy production during the flight perpendicular to the wind. Orientation is maintained by the flight dynamic computer system that controls the airfoils on the wings and differentially controlling the speed of rotation of the rotor. Reinforced composite cable transmits power and keeps the system from the ground. High redundancy array turbine design allows even in case of failure of a few elements remain in the air.
To run on turbine powered, which allows you to make a vertical takeoff. Upon reaching the working height, the system uses the power of the wind to fly a circular path. Strong crosswind speed, resulting in yield turbines rotate at high speeds, eliminating the need for gearboxes and other ways to improve efficiency. The energy transferred to the ground via an electrical cable. During the rare periods of low wind activity, the turbines are supplied with power and the construction of safe planted on the ground.
Visualization concept Joby Energy
Technologies of high-altitude winds were studied for several decades, but are still in the planning stage or prototypes. According to our estimates, after putting into operation of such systems, the cost of high-altitude wind power will range from two to four cents per kilowatt-hour.
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