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Stunt Kite Movements Could be Harnessed to Generate Power

Posted November 13, 2012 11:28 AM

From The Engineer:

Berlin-based wind energy developer NTS and experts from the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA in Stuttgart are now working on a project to harness the power of winds at altitudes of up to 500m.

Joachim Montnacher, an engineer at the IPA, said: 'The kites fly at a height of 300-500m, perfectly positioned to be caught by strong winds. Cables, about 700m in length, tether the kites to vehicles and pull them around a circuit on rails.

Read more:

http://www.theengineer.co.uk/sectors/energy-and-environment/news/stunt-kite-movements-could-be-harnessed-to-generate-power/1014584.article#ixzz2C7YChSL2

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Tornado
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#1

Re: Stunt Kite Movements Could be Harnessed to Generate Power

11/13/2012 9:51 PM

Charlie Brown can tell you all about this....

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PWSlack
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#2

Re: Stunt Kite Movements Could be Harnessed to Generate Power

11/14/2012 4:47 AM

So could couples doing the hokey-cokey.

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Mizuti
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#3

Re: Stunt Kite Movements Could be Harnessed to Generate Power

11/14/2012 10:24 AM

I've flown stunt kites a few times, and in my experience, it seemed like it required a lot of manual control to keep it balanced in the winds.

How is a truck operating it?

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Doorman
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#4
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Re: Stunt Kite Movements Could be Harnessed to Generate Power

11/15/2012 10:11 AM

"How is a truck operating it?" Exactly.

What happens when there is insufficient wind to keep the kites aloft? That is to say, how do the kites get back into the air after a rest?

How about this: A 700 meter tether line and a little bit of safety margin... these circular tracks (of indeterminate diameter) must be located about 1500 meters apart, track to track. A fast napkin layout, using track diameter of 0.5 km, shows about 100 km2 footprint for 24 of these.

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