Generating power for your home in the future could one day be as simple as flying a kite! According to the Guardian, "Scientists from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands harnessed energy from the wind by flying a 10-sq metre kite tethered to a generator, producing 10 kilowatts of power". In this initial experiment, the kite produced enough power to supply 10 average family homes, but researchers see no reason why the system couldn’t be scaled up to power up to 100,000 homes some day.
The benefit of using kites is that they can reach far above the level practical for conventional wind turbines. This capability opens up the potential for much more power generation since the wind speed is higher at the greater altitudes.
The generator system actually works like a giant kite "yo-yo". As the kite gains altitude, it pulls on a string attached to a generator until it reaches its maximum height, at which point it is reeled in to start the process all over again. To maximize power generation, the researchers fly the kites in special figure eight patterns, and they are considering systems with multiple kites working together, some going up while others are being reeled in.
This is definitely an interesting idea, but you have to admit it would be a strange site to see dozens or even hundreds of kites at a major power generation site bobbing up and down.
Kite Powered Generator
Go Fly A Kite For Green Energy
Trend Themes
1. Kite Power Generation - Utilizing kites to harness wind energy for power generation presents a disruptive innovation opportunity in the renewable energy industry.
2. High-altitude Wind Power - Exploring the potential of generating power at greater altitudes using kites opens up disruptive innovation opportunities for the clean energy sector.
3. Multi-kite Systems - Developing systems with multiple kites working together to generate power offers disruptive innovation potential for renewable energy technologies.
Industry Implications
1. Renewable Energy - The renewable energy industry can benefit from the disruptive innovation potential of kite power generation as a sustainable and efficient power source.
2. Clean Technology - The clean technology sector can explore disruptive innovation opportunities in high-altitude wind power to enhance energy generation capabilities.
3. Power Generation - The power generation industry can leverage multi-kite systems as a disruptive innovation to increase renewable energy production and meet growing demand.