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KiteGen is a concept for a wind harnessing machine for high altitude winds, developed in Italy. [1] The vertical axis rotation is intended to eliminate the static and dynamic problems that limit the size of conventional wind turbines. The prototype STEM yo-yo is under construction at Berzano di San Pietro in Italy. [2]
The KiteGen was originally conceived by Italian researcher Massimo Ippolito. [3] While observing kite surfers, Ippolito noticed the large amount of energy that the kite could collect and thought that a similar system could produce electricity. This idea seemed so risky that Ippolito put it aside for years.
The problem of capturing the wind is solved by the use of Power Wing Profiles (Power kites) whose movements are controlled automatically by a computer. The kites are tied by cables to a structure that rotates, generating electricity. This structure is the turbine, while the kites are the "blades".
The kites are flown on a predetermined trajectory, that can transform the exerted force on the cable, to an overall mechanical torque which rotates the vertical axis turbine. About 20 automatically controlled kites can keep rotating a turbine of 1,600 meters diameter at a speed of 15 revolutions per hour. This can generate 1 Gigawatt of power, equivalent to a medium size nuclear power station but with an estimated capital cost 10 times lower. In other words, 1 cubic Km of sky is able to provide 1 GigaWatt of power for 80% of the time in a year.
The long cables allows them to reach heights over 500 meters, where wind is strong, without introducing structural weaknesses.
There are two wind flow bands that envelope Earth. [4] One is in the southern hemisphere at the latitude of Patagonia, while the other is in the northern hemisphere over Europe. The flow height ranges from 800 meters up to 10,000 meters, [5] while the width is 4,000 or 5,000 km. The average power of the wind is about 2 kW per square meter.
High-altitude wind is much more powerful and constant than that at earth level, which is intense in very few places, and at full speed for only about 1,700-1,800 hours per year, which limits the annual production of energy.
KiteGen plans to use wind at around 800 meters [6] [7] altitude with average speeds of 7 m/s and specific power of 200 W/m. For example, a section of wind width of 1,000 meters at an altitude between 600 and 1,000 meters has a power of 400*1000*200 = 80 MW.
The conceptual prototype in the Province of Asti [8] which would work with nine generators and up to 10,000 m altitude would generate a peak power of 27 MW. [9] A park of Kitegens with 100 MW peak power should produce 500 GWh/year; enough for 86,000 households [8]
The Kitegen can operate about 6000 hours per year. [10]
In June 2006, KiteGen had been selected to receive public funding from the Italian Ministry for Economic Development. Although the project received a "priority B" score, the procedure evaluation was not done because of a lack of funds. Funding, performance evaluation, and capital adequacy is proceeding from the evaluator agency (Sanpaolo-Intesa Bank).
Under the 7th Framework Program of the European Union, an elaboration of the project within the transport sector was rated "excellent" and received €3 million in funding to create a system for generating electricity aboard ships, traction and management of ancillary services (proposal No. 218,691; acronym: "KitVes"). In November 2008, the European Union informed that the provision of funds will start "soon".
In August 2006, a prototype named Mobilegen was tested. This was a truck mounted system which is mobile and uses the low-altitude wind. A mobile generator of the second generation was tested in September 2007 at Francesco Cappa airport located in Casale Monferrato (Province of Alessandria, Italy). The unit called KSU1 used a kite that flew to 800 meters with automatic controls. The experiments lasted three days and required special permits from civil and military aviation.
In September 2012, KiteGen made an offer to the Government of Italy to power the aluminium smelter operated by ALCOA in Portoscuso. [11] The plant is the biggest energy user in Italy with 2.3 Twh/year. KiteGen planned a farm of 200 generators in 1 square kilometer near the plant to generate 300 MW of power with availability of 5000 hours per year. The costs of construction can be written off in nearly 2 years with energy costs around 30 €/Mwh. [12] For comparison, Glencore offer for the smelter want to relieve it only if the energy is cheaper than 37 €/Mwh by state aids because high power costs of nearby Sulcis Coal Power Station (around 70 €/Mwh) are the main reason for ALCOA to leave Sardinia. [13]
In electricity generation, a generator is a device that converts motion-based power or fuel-based power into electric power for use in an external circuit. Sources of mechanical energy include steam turbines, gas turbines, water turbines, internal combustion engines, wind turbines and even hand cranks. The first electromagnetic generator, the Faraday disk, was invented in 1831 by British scientist Michael Faraday. Generators provide nearly all the power for electrical grids.
An airborne wind turbine is a design concept for a wind turbine with a rotor supported in the air without a tower, thus benefiting from the higher velocity and persistence of wind at high altitudes, while avoiding the expense of tower construction, or the need for slip rings or yaw mechanism. An electrical generator may be on the ground or airborne. Challenges include safely suspending and maintaining turbines hundreds of meters off the ground in high winds and storms, transferring the harvested and/or generated power back to earth, and interference with aviation.
Airborne wind energy (AWE) is the direct use or generation of wind energy by the use of aerodynamic or aerostatic lift devices. AWE technology is able to harvest high altitude winds, in contrast to wind turbines, which use a rotor mounted on a tower.
The United Kingdom is the best location for wind power in Europe and one of the best in the world. The combination of long coastline, shallow water and strong winds make offshore wind unusually effective.
Unconventional wind turbines are those that differ significantly from the most common types in use.
The San Gorgonio Pass wind farm is a wind farm that stretches from the eastern slope of the San Gorgonio Pass, near Cabazon, to North Palm Springs, on the western end of the Coachella Valley, in Riverside County, California. Flanked by Mount San Gorgonio and the Transverse Ranges to the North, and Mount San Jacinto and the Peninsular Ranges to the South, the San Gorgonio Pass is a transitional zone from a Mediterranean climate west of the pass, to a Desert climate east of the pass. This makes the pass area one of the most consistently windy places in the United States.
Wind power is a branch of the energy industry that has expanded quickly in the United States over the last several years. From January through December 2023, 425.2 terawatt-hours were generated by wind power, or 10.18% of electricity in the United States. The average wind turbine generates enough electricity in 46 minutes to power the average American home for one month. In 2019, wind power surpassed hydroelectric power as the largest renewable energy source in the U.S.
A laddermill kite system is an airborne wind turbine consisting of a long string or loop of power kites. The loop or string of kites would be launched in the air by the lifting force of the kites, until it is fully unrolled, and the top reaches a height determined by designers and operators; some designers have considered heights of about 30,000 feet, but the concept is not height-dependent. The laddermill method may use one endless loop, two endless loops, or more such loops.
Wind power generates about 10% of Turkey's electricity, mainly in the west in the Aegean and Marmara regions, and is gradually becoming a larger share of renewable energy in the country. As of 2024, Turkey has 12 gigawatts (GW) of wind turbines. The Energy Ministry plans to have almost 30 GW by 2035, including 5 GW offshore.
SkySails Group GmbH is a Hamburg-based company that sells kite rigs to propel cargo ships, large yachts and fishing vessels by wind energy as well as airborne wind energy systems for electricity production from high-altitude winds.
Martin Next Generation Solar Energy Center is the solar parabolic-trough component of an integrated solar combined cycle (ISCC) 1150 MW plant, in western Martin County, Florida, United States, just north of Indiantown. The project was built by Florida Power & Light Company (FPL). Lauren Engineers & Constructors (Abilene, TX) was the EPC contractor for the project. Its construction began in 2008 and was completed by the end of 2010.
Offshore wind power or offshore wind energy is the generation of electricity through wind farms in bodies of water, usually at sea. There are higher wind speeds offshore than on land, so offshore farms generate more electricity per amount of capacity installed. Offshore wind farms are also less controversial than those on land, as they have less impact on people and the landscape.
As of May 2024, wind power in the Netherlands has an installed capacity of 11,611 MW, 40.9% of which is based offshore. In 2022, the wind turbines provided the country with 18.37% of its electricity demand during the year. Windmills have historically played a major part in the Netherlands by providing an alternative to water driven mills.
GE Wind Energy is a branch of GE Renewable Energy, a subsidiary of General Electric. The company manufactures and sells wind turbines to the international market. In 2018, GE was the fourth largest wind turbine manufacturer in the world.
Sierra SunTower was a 5 MW commercial concentrating solar power (CSP) plant built and operated by eSolar. The plant is located in Lancaster, California. As of mid-September, 2022, the two towers that were the center of the facility are no longer standing. However the rest of the plant is still present.
A tidal stream generator, often referred to as a tidal energy converter (TEC), is a machine that extracts energy from moving masses of water, in particular tides, although the term is often used in reference to machines designed to extract energy from the run of a river or tidal estuarine sites. Certain types of these machines function very much like underwater wind turbines and are thus often referred to as tidal turbines. They were first conceived in the 1970s during the oil crisis.
Makani Technologies LLC was an Alameda, California-based company that developed airborne wind turbines. Founded in 2006, Makani was acquired by Google in May 2013. In February 2020, Makani was shut down by Alphabet, Google's parent company.
Renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, tidal, hydro, biomass, and geothermal have become significant sectors of the energy market. The rapid growth of these sources in the 21st century has been prompted by increasing costs of fossil fuels as well as their environmental impact issues that significantly lowered their use.
Crosswind kite power is power derived from airborne wind-energy conversion systems or crosswind kite power systems (CWKPS). The kite system is characterized by energy-harvesting parts flying transverse to the direction of the ambient wind, i.e., to crosswind mode; sometimes the entire wing set and tether set is flown in crosswind mode. From toy to power-grid-feeding sizes, these systems may be used as high-altitude wind power (HAWP) devices or low-altitude wind power (LAWP) devices without having to use towers. Flexible wings or rigid wings may be used in the kite system. A tethered wing, flying in crosswind at many times wind speed, harvests wind power from an area that exceeds the wing's total area by many times.
