kite generator

alien · Since 01 Aug 2006 114 Posts Portland Stoked

Looks like foils won out on this round.

http://devicedaily.com/misc/giant-kites-to-harness-wind-power.html

jbruxer · Since 24 Jul 2005 398 Posts Beaverton, OR Obsessed

Alright, this might be a stupit question, but how exactly does the kite run the generator? I get that kites can "generate" tons of power....obviously, but what do the lines hook to in order to harness that power?

Here's another question. How do you mark a 30,000ft string of kites on radar so planes don't hit it? Laughing

...but pretty schweeeet!

genek · Since 21 Jul 2006 2165 Posts East Po KGB

Those are the million dollar questions. I interviewed with a start-up in the Bay Area called Makani Power that has Don Montague (old Naish designer) and other kiters working there. If they told you the answer to those questions they'd have to kill you. I guess they'd need a no-fly zone for the wind farm though. It'd be sweet to kiteloop those things? Can you imagine the forces?

hamlindp · Wed Aug 06, 08 10:59 am

ROCK ON!!!!

pdxmonkeyboy · Wed Aug 06, 08 11:17 am

I wondered the same thing, you need movement to generate electricity so they kites must be pulling some kind of spring loaded rotor?

bigsteve · Since 06 Aug 2008 12 Posts New Member

ya I'm wondering if it works similar to the wave generators and is using some sort of oscilatory motion down at the base.

Anyway.. FoilKite's Dominate.

pjc · Since 06 Mar 2005 649 Posts Addicted

i wonder how close any of this technology is to commercial production?

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6549 Posts Couve / Hood Honored Founder

I am not sure if this is the same as the other system that was posted awhile back, but the one I saw before had an automated system to turn the kite back and forth in figure 8's. It somehow spooled line out and in with the power spikes.

Somebody who doesn't have to work as hard as I do could probably find that video. Very Happy

Kataku2k3 · Since 14 Aug 2005 3754 Posts PDX-LA Videographer

Video's linked on this page, but for some reason it's loading really slow for me...

http://www.nwkite.com/forums/t-6649.html

dangerD · Since 27 Jun 2005 223 Posts Bingen Heights Stoked

Im imagining like talking-barbie technology here, where you pull the string and the doll, says, "i hate math", only looping kites pull the string, and Barbie says "kilowatt hour"

hamlindp · Wed Aug 06, 08 12:56 pm

Looks like the kite was controlled by joystick and movement was recorded. Maybe teaching the computer how to fly the kite, by sensing wind conditions and flying characteristics, placing results in a table to be accessed and applied to the fly-controller automatically, once learned.