Seems very on-topic
grts
Bruno
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http://sourceable.net/alaska-launches-flying-wind-turbines/
Flying Wind Turbines
A city in Alaska is trialling the usage of flying wind turbines to take
advantage of the stronger air currents found at higher altitudes.
The Altaeros Buoyant Airborne Turbine (BAT) looks like a cross between a
windmill and a hollowed-out blimp, consisting of a segmented, tubular
balloon pumped full of helium to confer it with sufficient buoyancy to
float high in the air.
The blades of the Altaeros BAT are situated within the tube’s hollow
interior, while a set of sturdy tethers keep the device anchored to a
relatively constant position above the ground.
The device was designed and built by Altaeros Energy, a start-up founded
by MIT and Harvard alumni which has received a US$1.3 million grant from
the Alaska Energy Authority to trial usage of the BAT over an 18-month
period.
One of the turbines will be installed above the city of Fairbanks,
Alaska at an altitude of just over 300 metres, where it will convey
energy to the ground by means of cables connecting it to the grid.
Altaeros has already conducted successful trials of a 35-foot scale
prototype of the BAT in Limestone, Maine. The device proved capable of
ascending to heights of over 100 metres and harvesting power from more
rapid air currents before returning to the earth in an automated cycle.
The technology could radically enhance the efficiency of wind turbines,
given that air speeds are directly proportional to both altitude and
energy harvesting. The air currents harvested by the BAT-Buoyant 300
metres above Fairbanks are expected to be between five to eight times
stronger than those at sea-level, and Altaeros claims the device could
reduce generation costs by as much as 65 per cent.
While engineers in the wind power industry are striving to devise new
methods for raising the height of turbines, the use of airborne podiums
could obviate the manifold challenges involved in building taller towers
– an engineering task fraught with considerable difficulty.
BAT’s developers see the flying turbines vastly increasing the
convenience of wind power deployment by dispensing with the need to
occupy extensive tracts of land and build fixed infrastructure assets.
“For decades, wind turbines have required cranes and huge towers to lift
a few hundred feet off the ground where winds can be slow and gusty,”
said Ben Glass, inventor of the airborne wind turbine. “We are excited
to demonstrate that modern inflatable materials can lift wind turbines
into more powerful winds almost everywhere—with a platform that is cost
competitive and easy to setup from a shipping container.”
The turbines could also alleviate concerns about the the potential for
intrusive or hazardous noise pollution created by wind turbines situated
in close proximity to residential areas, and the impact of land-based
towers upon terrestrial ecosystems.
In addition to achieving enhanced energy harvesting, the airborne
devices are also capable of a swathe of other functions, including the
provision of data coverage and telecommunication services, and the
monitoring of local weather conditions.
Published on 31 October 2014
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