KITE POWER

Imagine a future where you look out the window and see multi-colored power balloons or kites gliding above the green fields instead of power-plant smoke.

This is the colorful,smog free,future powered by wind's green energy in the imagination of some engineers not because it is great sci-fi,but because it avoids many of the restrictions of conventional wind power.

The idea of putting wind turbines on kites or balloons is called airborne wind energy( Kite energy).

In this article,we’ll talk about why it is great, and of course the challenges to tackle faced by this new form of energy.

So if we’re going to talk about hypothetical Kite energy,we should look at conventional wind energy first

since both share some concepts and to understand what problems kite power might solve.

Conventional wind power works by putting a turbine in the way of some wind.

The wind pushes against the turbine’s blades,causing them to spin and propel an electrical generator in the process .

Technically speaking, this can be done with any turbine,(not for the big guys only).

You could even put one on the roof or use mini turbines to collect wind from cars speeding through the highway.

but wait limitations coming through:

The power you get out of a wind turbine depends on the size of the turbine and the speed of the wind; To get enough power you need to build more or bigger ones or catch faster winds.

The Big guys are coming in.The ones on land are 100 meters tall while the ones in the sea are 150 meters tall to get faster winds.

These guys have two problems though they are BIG and EXPENSIVE to build,using tons of steel and concrete with high carbon content.

After being built, it is time to put them in place which is not something so easy to do. However big those turbines are, they don't catch the faster winds up there because they are beyond their reach.

Enter kite energy, no towers no cement, in its two versions.

In the first version you put the turbine on a kite where it can capture faster winds.

In the second you leave the turbine down there and tether it to the kite with a cable; the kite pulls on the cable spinning the turbine and generating energy ( a bit like a gym's rowing machine).

Those kites can go where the tower's won't steep terrain and beside your house. They are also easier to install with fewer ncrete and steel in the equation.

One company says that its prototype has a capacity of 100KW(enough power for 20 houses) and can be installed by two people in 20 minutes.

This is all good but what's the catch?

Well first the kites need control systems that can control multiple kites and lower them when there are dangers like storms ; these systems have to differentiate between a gust and a storm.

Second is the effect on flying animals like bats and birds which has to be analyzed

Third is the effect on the scenery: some people wouldn't like seeing a group of kites near their house (not me especially if they have good designs)

The final issue is integration with the existing infrastructure of buildings and energy(the grid).

Well those kites are still in their initial stages but not far is the future where you will look from your window and see a group of colorful flying dragons powering your house.