USA - Internet search engine giant supports wind energy kite turbines

Makani Power, a CA-based company, wants to harvest high-altitude winds by using large-wing kites. The company says that high-altitude wind currents have the highest level of energy per square foot.

They have raised $20 million in funding to build their large-wind kites which are much superior to classic wind turbines, because these can only harvest winds at low altitudes. The firm also says that if we captured just a fraction of the high altitude wind energy worldwide, this would be enough to power the entire planet.

The first prototype has been a kite the size of a piano, at 600 meters altitude, in Maui. The kite had been kept aloft for a longer period of time through the usage of specialized electro-mechanical devices. One such kite could generate enough power for five US households having average electricity consumption.

A year an a half is the term Makani Power gives for the construction of their first 1 MW kite, following up with another year and a half of testing before finally producing it commercially. Corwin Hardham, CEO, says these kites are best for use offshore, where high altitude winds have higher speeds.

Of course, several issues involving the impact of these kites on flying birds will surely arise through the time, like it happened to all wind-based energy harvesting approaches.

Short Summary on Kite Wind Energy:
Once you start using power kites, you will notice that kites have lots of energy, much more than any other traditional wind power devices (traditional windmill or wind turbine).

Wind power has been proven in the recent decades to be one of the most promising and popular sources of clean energy using traditional devices. So why not kite energy?
Advantages and Disadvantages of Kite Energy Systems

Many have thought just that in the last couple of years and have discovered that kites have lots more potential than traditional wind power devices:

1. Kites fly higher, therefore have more consistent and cleaner wind
2. Kites do not require massive supporting base tower and platform
3. Kites can fly across the wind window to generate even more power than the wind can provide
4. Multiple kites can be easily stacked for more power

However, kite power generation systems do have their own disadvantages:

1. Kites require launching (after installation/maintenance and after a no wind period) and landing (in case of thunder storm or hurricane). Wind turbine towers have the same lightning problem during thunderstorm but they do shut off in case of strong wind during hurricane (modern wind turbines normally shut off when the wind reaches 90 km/hr and the whole structure can survive hurricane wind up to 220 km/hr, top range of Category 3 hurricane wind speed)
2. Regulation and safety issues for high flying kites:
* Not deployable within 5 miles radius of an airport
* Need Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) from FAA
* Need lighting every 50 feet along its tether
* For self-floating kite, need Rapid Deflation Devices that can bring the kite down in case of escape from mooring
3. Liability issues for kites landed on other people land.

Kite Energy Products:
There are a couple of companies currently trying to enter the kite energy market and main ones are:
1. Skywindpower
2. Magenn
3. Sequoia Automation
4. Briza Technologies

For more information please contact Trevor Sievert at ts@windfair.net