In the not-so-distant past, wind-harvesting kites were scoffed at by renewable energy technology buffs. But as the science matures, A-list investors like Google and E.ON are willing to put their money behind it.
The race is on between Google-owned Makani and a Dutch startup called Ampyx to see who can harvest wind power from high altitudes using just a fraction of the materials needed to build a conventional turbine.
Currently Google is in the lead, but Ampyx could catch up soon thanks to a turboburst of financial firepower from the massive European public utility E.ON.
Wind at higher altitudes blows stronger and steadier, which has resulted in conventional wind turbines getting bigger, with taller towers and longer blades. A potentially more economical approach to wind power involves ditching the tower and floating a wind harvesting device in the air.
The answer? A drone-like device that circles at high altitudes, whilst being tethered to a stationary platform by cable.
How then does that motion then transfer to wind power generation? The Ampyx system achieves the transference by guiding its drone in a figure eight pattern. As the drone moves along its pathway, it pulls the tether in and out. The end of the tether is connected to a winch drum system that generates electricity.
In the latest development for Ampyx, the involvement of E.ON has enabled the company to begin planning for an advanced, $3.7 million R&D facility and control center near Winchelsea, England. The idea is to test the combined system of platform, drone and tether in a grid-connected environment.
Photo and original article credit: http://www.cleantechnica.com