How could airborne wind power be applied in your region?

I'm from Canada. In our far north, there are many communities relying on diesel generators for their power needs. I see this technology as something which could possibly be a game-changer for them. Thank you for the work that you do!

One little detail is the tether that connects the kite to the ground. In the case of Makani, it forced a spacing between kites twice the length of the tether. That reduced the density of a kite farm to a level where it could have been competitive only in very remote areas. The tether moved so fast that not only it was unsafe to put kites near each other, but also roads and people, per FAA authorizations. Mixed farming and wind use, typical of wind power plants, was not possible. I am not sure how that limitation generalizes to other kite-based technologies.

Been discussing something similar online recently in connection with the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Was watching the aid convoys of diesel trucks and wondering aloud about how that works in a zero emission world. But if some of the aid are huge battery trailers and some form of deployable solar and wind turbines, almost certainly as good as now. And once the immediate aid issues are resolved, the system can be left deployed as a local power station during reconstruction. For this part of disaster relief. This technology is going to be extremely important

This looks like a really promising technology for off grid locations, quick and easy to install, with little supporting infrastructure required. One to watch.

It's probably the kind of thing where there will be a niche demand. For example, for temporary isolated facilities that need temporary wind power, and are isolated enough that there is no plane traffic.

Mind blowing innnovation, i hope this gets to mass production soon, i see plenty of uses it can have in many countries and places.

Wait until I explain solar punk to you

These seem like potentially cool ways to solve the intermittency problems with wind, but let’s not forget that intermittency is not actually a CURRENT issue. On shore and offshore wind already produce plenty of electricity for a low enough cost that we could take 50% or more of our natural gas and coal fired power plants off line. This would be huge for saving us loads of money and solving lots of health issues. These are solutions for how we might get rid of the final 20-30% of fossil fuel facilities. Important to consider, but not a good enough reason to delay installing our current tech.

Way better than current wind technology

Mega explainer, I was so curious to get to know more about the development of kite generators 💚

my favorite show , once a week is not enough , make more.

Very informative to think out of box, Noble work

It makes more sense to use lighter-than-air craft than to use kites/gliders given lift requirements to keep a turbine generator afloat. The reel-style kite generator is also quite impressive given its simplicity.

As a kitesurfer and having been dragged across the beach, I've felt the power! I have always marveled at the raw power of a teathered kite looping in the power zone. The red bull big air guys and gals really demonstrate this sky sending pull. So how much pull? What's the rule of thumb or equation? As a paraglider, I have tapped into the power of thermals, wind gradients, compression zones and clouds. It's exciting to see attempts to capture and sell it. Ultimately disappointing sadly. The surface is still just being scratched. Much more innovation and push from big companies needed. They will be dead when the fuel runs out and the wind scatters their ashes. Foolish not to continue to invest in their favourable future. A profila of different deployable devices harnessing every type of energy about. Wind, tide, thermal and wave. On a huge scale at the most abundant sites. Why not dream big. Giga watt ocean current rotating cities. Self supporting jet stream community. A continuous 200mph wind will give all the power needed to stay up there and thrive. Why explore another planet when can't fully exploit your own.

To me, it sounds like a great idea. It also a pretty "scalable" one, in the sense that it can be done with relatively low tech as much as with high-tech. The dangers associated, at least, with the kite variety, are low, a falling kite won't do too much damage, a falling cable could, but I don't think all too much. Birds are mart enough to avoid these, and they move too slowly and don't possess enough mass as to become a danger in a collision. And they use much less resources than bigger turbines. A tad amateurish, I have to say, but I understand these are prototypes and proofs of concept. I am also concerned by these things tangling cables if they are placed in dense farms, this may reduce their practicality for regions that don't have wide open spaces or shallow and accessible coasts to build kite-farms. But it's another sound option, rough around the edges, but an option that could perfectly carve a decent niche for itself in the market.

fantastic . thank you very much .

I remember this in a Popular Science article more than a decade ago. Even predicted kite tugs.

I had this same idea some time ago to use relatively cheap traction kites with simple machine vision management. Its primary virtue is that it is very cheap to deploy. Getting tens of thousands of feet up into jet streams is much more difficult.

Mind-Blowing Innovation

looks too complicated but promising, wind must evolve, thank you for telling people about it

Awesome 👏

Its an excellent innovation that should be pursued.

This is a great video as it reminded me of a technology that I’ve learned about many years ago. The kite energy can be very useful!

Very good and challenging work. I expect it will be a component of new energy in many regions. Look out for the solutions of today, can be the problems of tomorrow. Caution!

So cool!!

What's the unit of "one household" in kW?

I spend a lot of time in a place where people use kites for surfing. It's a great spot with a very stable wind here, but even a very experienced surfer will tell you that the power of the kite is not very stable and hard to predict, and it definitely needs managing. You don't just let it fly and it pulls you, you control it all the time. But yes, kites can be surprisingly powerful. A 7 square m one can lift an adult man into the air, few metres above water, if used correctly in strong wind. Generally, this looks like a great idea, but I doubt it would be applicable everywhere: you need some pretty specific conditions for it to be reliable and safe. You would also need some pretty skilled operators to work with those kites and ensure that they are flying at the right altitude and generating enough power, and not falling to the ground if the wind is low, or flying away if it's too strong. And you can't have smth like this in a densely built area, where the strap tying it to the power station can risk tangling and falling onto smth, and then ripping.

1:20 What is causing that vortex between Iceland and Greenland?

Zeus: Are my lightning bolts ready? The Cyclopes: Yes, sir.

Brilliant I love this I live off grid

I wonder if something like this could be used to create power from ocean currents? Same idea but just under water where currents are more steady and predictable

Absolutely Splendid video!

Despite the good intentions there are ways closer to earth then high altitude wind harvesting. I see the danger of some "idiot" cutting these structures away and that causing damages or kill people. Not even talking about accidents with flights or storms caused lightnings....

I have been looking at this from a much more aggressive stance. I am looking at the tethered, unmanned concept. Think the Goodyear blimp without human occupants. Think tons of lift available. Think several hundred grouped array vertical turbine designs that compress air, not generate electricity. Think energy storage in the form of compressed air. Think compressed air as the guaranteed access to electricity, even if for weather or maintenance requirements call for bringing the blimp and all its generator arrays to ground for service. Now, this is the most important development here. This equipment would be locally owned and operated by the local government. Which means profiting is forbidden. The price of electricity would drop by 95% permanently. I need investors.

Put Technology Readiness Levels in every video to educate people! 🤩🤩🤩

This sounds like a great and SIMPLE solution. Forget 500 houses. Give me 1 for my house!!!! I'll fly it 100m and that's enough for me

The music is so loud, the production quality really misses out because of it..

A kite or sail with a bit of helium or hydrogen in it to keep it up there with a wire to the ground sounds really promising. It will need to be fixed and replaced and could be reeled in as needed. It sounds really good for off grid applications. I would love to see this become a bottom up movement in the world.

This is the type of renewable energy the low income countries need urgently.

Well, I hope you will touch on the possible effects on air travel.

So far the feasible way is this: An origami-based drone kite is needed to be variable in size. The kite is pulling string from generator to generate power. Once is long enough, the kite shrinks, closing the distance, and let the generator reroll the string. After that the kite can be expanded and pull the string again. Sounds good? Please take me to your research 🎈💨💨💨

Good info..

Great video about a topic not covered often. And Tim is really cute :-)

So f***ing interesting!

Hope they get this working soon I'm looking at replacing the panels on the roof be much cheaper replacing a kite

If this works it could solve the electricity demands of the Western Cape in South Africa. Lots of wind, very little air traffic south of the country. It should be worth investigating. They desperately need solutions.

Thank you good video. What is the LCOE? What is the cost & output of 1 kite unit Thank you.

Amazing innovation

Oh, I remember this from the early aughts, when peak oil was all the buzz. The we got shale gas (boo!) and I never heard anything again.

I would attach kite size of Belgium to the ground of the North Pole with an outer cosmic station .It will reflect the sun albedo effect to prevent ice melt and might give you more energy

I really think we ought to be focusing on technologies that can more dramatically transform our climate problem and solve it. Fission energy seens close and would be one half of the someone. Carbon recapture technology is the other half.

A fantastic idea! 🎉

Very exciting

I'm really surprised you didn't use the mary popins song "lets go fly a kite"

What is the plan to mitigate the hazard to aviation? You would need a beacon on the kite and a way to illuminate the entire cable.

Felt like that "turbine in a blimp" idea was glossed over pretty quick...how did that one turn out?

music is too loud

It could supplement existing power generation. The power sails do pose a potential risk to aircraft and birds.

These are proof of concept ideas. Doesn't mean it's possible means it will be practical.

image a plane passing by and its wings clipped or iron man getting tangled with the kite.

Amazing

Kitemill at 6.15 - very cool. Nice episode! Informative and quite accurate! You should not focus that much on the off grid/remote market - the importance for the world lies in the utility scale, not in the niches.

Here's an old American saying , Go fly a kite ! More pie in the sky. !

Is it possible to have wind harvesting planes or drones that can fly higher than normal air traffic? Maybe have a designated unpopulated area that can have them fly around all day and night in shifts to collect for the local areas. That opens up so many beneficial tech-working-with-nature opportunities. Let the wayseers see the way

i believe our engineers will certainly crack this impasse

reminds me of big hero 6's power generators on top of sky crapers

The one thing you can count on in life is that anything Google starts, they will cancel soon after.

0:40 Bullshit, the energy potential of geothermal is hundreds of orders of magnitudes higher than that of any wind. Usable is a different story, but even then, its likely a factor of 1000x or more.

Why not built windmill on mountain 😮

it's a fascinating idea, but: i just don't see it taking off (no pun intended). it's too many moving parts (basically all of it) and too much need for manual intervention.

One problem... the wind doesn't always blow. One more thing, one good, cold, freezing "polar vortex" will wipe it out.

so, while the kite is up and suddenly there's no wind, the kite dives to the ground crashing the turbine to pieces

people do remember ...equation of turbidity is still not solved ...so if we take energy from the wind it will effect the climate

There is no question ... this is the future of energy!!!

What is the lifespan of the kite? I doubt the fabric can withstand the elements more than 6 months.

Neato!

Very promising.

For airborne turbines, is the weight of the generator a concern? Why have I never seen the tether used as a driveshaft for a ground based generator?

Why they don't go to hills or mountain if there's more wind higher up.

I love this channel

There are a lot of gaps in the information on this video. My guess is that as the kite is pulled up into the sky, it pulls on a rope/cable that turns a turbine which generates electricity. It would have been good if they explained exactly how it generates electricity. The fact that they did not, is telling. I think it’s an ingenious idea, but I don’t believe it to be practical, at least compared to offshore wind turbines of the 5 MW variety. That’s what we need. Terawatts of PV and wind power installed ASAP. Researchers like to come up with new cool ideas. That’s OK. However, we need to install things that we know will work right now. We’re going to lose the climate we need to survive if we don’t hustle a hell of a lot harder.

You can place them on top of skyscrapers without any problems.

But what will keep the kite from falling down if wind slows down or stops?

How is the energy being produced continuously when it runs out of string to spin the turbine. Do you reel it in again. A helium balloon with a wind turbine inside is easy to understand but how is a kite producing the energy. It would only produce the energy till the string keeps spinning the turbine, right? Did I miss something?😅

Kiteman! Hellyeah!

Reminds me of San Fransokyo from big hero six

Kites for wind power will never be used because they are far to complex compared with a ground or sea based wind turbine. Even ships would benefit more from fixed wind turbines than the unpredictability of kites.

That's pretty cool👌

I thought this venture failed a while ago

At 1:41 - doesn't that formula assume the same density of air? It's less dense at altitude.

Great for the northwest coast in america.

Didn’t Ben Franklin do that with a key on the end?

Anything is better than traditional tower windmills

earth core is so hot, we can dig and make it as a steam engine. in theory, it should work. same as this technology

The technology to look at is by a company called Windswept

I think this is just too impractical.

+1 and hope to see it as a commercially viable energy within my lifetime 😍

I think it's not really feasible due to it not being stationary and stable for long term use. Now short term is ok. But almost everything energy production wise is somewhat stationary, stable and predictable.

Prof Dihel can't stop smiling thinking of all that grants he's going to get peddling this outlandish idea.