Energetica India Magazine -October 2020

WIND POWER Fig.: Energy kite, Photo credit: https://spectrum.ieee.org 45 energetica INDIA- October_2020 energy firms in 2016. The start-up has plan to build one of the world’s first kite power stations using energy kite tech- nology to be believed could collectively generate hundreds of megawatts of en- ergy by 2030. The technology is that the two kites are tethered to a spool and as they soar at speeds of around 100 miles per hour in figures of eight, they pull ca - bles which turn the drum, rather like an unrolling spool of thread and thus gener- ating electricity continuously as one kite descends and the other rises. Accord- ingly, each kite system will be capable of generating around 500 kilowatts of energy which will be enough to supply electricity to around 430 homes. Compa- ny is working to make this whole process to be fully-automated so that to be able to launch-and-land the kites at the push of a button. • A GoogleX division company named Makani, Alameda, Califorina (USA)- based Makani Technologies ran demon- stration flights of its airborne wind tur - bines-which the company calls energy kites-in the North Sea, some 10 kilome - ters off the coast of Norway. The rotation of wide kite’s rotors will drive the magnet motors/generators on board and thus producing electricity and transferring the same down the tether to be connected to an energy grid. The idea behind the company’s technology is to raise the al- titude of the wind energy harvesting to hundreds of meters in the sky—where the winds are typically both stronger and more steady. Because a traditional wind mill reaching anywhere approach- ing these heights would be impractical. Recently, this 13-year old experiment in harnessing wind power using kites and modified gliders finally closes down but the technology behind it is open-sourced and is being passed on to others in the field. • Another company “EnerKite” is using slim solutions to concentrate on the key components needed to utilise wind power. Accordingly, a steerable kite will transfer the energy of the wind to a gen- erator via a rope. A fully automatic con- trol will hold the kite at high altitude in the best wind window. This ensures high ef- ficiency. To be able to respond quickly to wind gusts, drives from FAULHABER aid in controlling the kite. Potential of technology Energy kites have great potential to generate electricity in order to help the mankind and environment. The British company says each energy kite system will be capable of generating around 500 kilowatts of energy which will be enough to supply continuous electric- ity to around 430 homes. According to researchers from the Delft University of Technology (Netherlands), at the devel- oped state, high-flying kites tethered to generators could supply as much as 100 megawatts of electricity with a capacity to power 100,000 homes. Conclusion With a simple idea and all fascinating advantages of energy kites (also known as airborne wind energy, AWE), it might even be possible to produce enough wind energy anywhere around the clock. However, the engineering required to re - alize this vision is still very much a work in progress on different aspects like: ex- periments, field tests, and simulations describing the efficiency and cost-effec - tiveness of various technologies. Many companies and researchers are devoted to developing technologies that produce wind power while adrift high in the sky. Transferring the harvested power by en- ergy kites all the way back to the gener- ator on the Earth’s surface is not an easy task but a lot of energy can be produced by kites while saving a lot of money. Fur- ther, energy kite power systems can be considered as modular, flexible, small- scale power production plants and could be applied to single family houses be- cause the material used will be very light and affordable. Overall, energy kites will prove to be safer, more efficient energy source choice, and will benefit the hu - man and environment simultaneously if successfully developed and utilized in near future.