Why kites could be the next big thing for wind power

High up in the sky we find gigantic resources of energy which are untapped so far. How can we harvest these hidden and never-ending resources? Companies are racing to exploit the potential of this high-altitude wind power.
Credits:
Reporter: Tim Schauenberg
Video Editor: Frederik Willmann
Supervising Editor: Malte Rower-Kahlmann
We're destroying our environment at an alarming rate. But it doesn't need to be this way. Our new channel Planet A explores the shift towards an eco-friendly world - and challenges our ideas about what dealing with climate change means. We look at the big and the small: What we can do and how the system needs to change. Every Friday we'll take a truly global look at how to get us out of this mess.
#PlanetA #airborne #windenergy
Read more:
Basic concepts and physics of Airborne Wind Energy:
homes.esat.kuleuven.be/~highw...
Assessment of viability of AWE in the U.S by the Department of Energy:
www.energy.gov/sites/default/...
Industry Report on the potential of offshore wind energy globally as well as high altitude winds:
IRENA_G20_Offshore_Renewables_2021-1.pdf
Chapters
00:00 Intro
0:53 High Altitude Winds?
2:34 The sky is not the limit
3:57 Google is taking over - and fails
6:13 Projects that work
9:16 Still the next mega market?

[@DWPlanetA]

How could airborne wind power be applied in your region?

[@Dominucastro47]

Dune

[@SirusStarTV]

There's a lot of wind here

[@leponpon6935]

Plenty....wait a minute, where's Adam?

[@WiwatChang]

I live in one of the densest wind turbine areas in Thailand - airborne could be an add-on to existing turbines if we can figure out how to make it take off and land automatically and safely

[@leponpon6935]

@@WiwatChang 🙏, yes, and also when it's clear of air traffic

[@LuEmanuel]

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!

[@asgeirlno5956]

Any canadian powercompanies specializing in these remote communities? askin for Kitemill

[@blackpanthar906]

It can never be as robust or dependable as diesel or fuel.

[@janvanderpluym6111]

AnITHER FROZEN bRain canuck

[@samuelmullen5823]

@@blackpanthar906and that is why batteries were invented

[@blackpanthar906]

@@samuelmullen5823 Batteries also require fuel for be manufactured, they are not robust. That's the main drawback of batteries because you need power to charge them, in 3 years all batteries become useless, their performace drops 80 to 90%. Then we have weather that plays vital role in a batteries life and performance. It needs adequate temperature, freezing cold can decrease battery output by upto 40% and too hot surroundings can decrease a battery's life significantly.

[@luciustarquiniuspriscus1408]

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.

[@elietedarce1266]

Yes, it moves around a way too large are, so even producing energy to 500 homes it would be a problem. What about the heliun baloom with wind turbine? With 3 cables the baloom would be around a relative small space.

[@patrickjr11]

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

[@RDJ2]

"how that works in a zero emission world" It doesn't. Nothing works in a zero emission world.

[@alana8863]

@@RDJ2 A net zero world works, though.

[@michaeljames5936]

This idea is being mostly researched by,... the US Military! They are working on electric tanks, APCs etc. The great advantage is the lack of a fuel supply line, they take a piece of ground and secure it and it becomes a constant fuel pump. The amount of fuel military vehicles use if enormous and keeping forward units supplied with that fuel can be a logistical nightmare. I'd much prefer to see it powering hospitals, but the idea is taken very seriously by a lot of serious people.

[@michaeljames5936]

@@RDJ2 True that, but a NET-zero emission world could be a paradise compared to the polluted, dying Hell-hole we are currently living in and creating.

[@philiptaylor7902]

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

[@Alex_Plante]

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.

[@juniormorales1485]

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

[@mattheweanfeldman]

Wait until I explain solar punk to you

[@SamuelKissinger]

Yo yes I loved the idea of solar punk, it's like one of my favorite artistic styles to draw from! ☀️

[@Whayles]

Yeah very solar punk!

[@NazriB]

Lies again? Mother Goose Mother Lover

[@andrewreynolds912]

I already know what that is. I saw the balloon wind turbine, and omg, it's litterly solar punk

[@SaveMoneySavethePlanet]

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.

[@tomkelly8827]

No this will not prevent a single power plant from needing to be built, the gas and coal plants are still needed but it can reduce their fuel consumption when it is windy as long as the grid prioritizes wind energy over coal or natural gas when given the option.

[@rzpogi]

Only nuclear can eliminate the last 20%-30% fossil fuel usage. The reason is reliability issues. While wind and solar are already able to provide our electricity needs, they are not reliable sources of energy. Wind can't produce power without wind or during storms. Solar doesn't either during storms or at night. No, batteries are just a band-aid solution to the reliability problem. Fossil fuels and nuclear can work through the night, during storms, and though the night.

[@asgeirlno5956]

@@tomkelly8827 I do think you are wrong - this tech will have availability around 70 %

[@blackpanthar906]

@@rzpogi Exactly these are not robust solutions. But even Nuclear can't replace fossil fuels in my opinion, even if you achieve fusion plants it's a very bad idea to put fossil fuels offline. A good reason could be the ever risk of war, conflict, civil war and riots in human society. Even if you have fusion power you still need something to store the energy so you can use it in emergency. Thus you need batteries, and in order to manufacture batteries you again need fossil fuels. So it wouldn't make much sense to put something to readily available and instant source of energy to rest completely. Military will still use fossil fuels even if civilians don't and the reason is simple as I explained above. Airlines will still use fossil fuels most likely.

[@wincoffin7985]

@@blackpanthar906 Fuel, maybe so -- but it doesn't have to be Fossil fuel. Renewables can generate the power to extract hydrogen from the atmosphere, whether used to make methane or used directly.

[@100960mmm]

Very informative to think out of box, Noble work

[@steffenengelmann9825]

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

[@DWPlanetA]

Hi Steffen, we're glad to hear it was helpful! 🪁

[@spaced-cadet]

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.

[@badrinair]

fantastic . thank you very much .

[@elychong9227]

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

[@nopnop6274]

Absolutely Splendid video!

[@pauldogon2578]

Way better than current wind technology

[@shaider1982]

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

[@stevenlilley8045]

Mind-Blowing Innovation

[@Clever_thought]

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!

[@skyak4493]

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.

[@chorianopoulos2002]

Its an excellent innovation that should be pursued.

[@darshanlunia1888]

Amazing innovation

[@senthilkumarn4u]

Good info..

[@makanbolang]

Awesome 👏

[@VFella]

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.

[@whatsupbudbud]

Kites have enormous power and can get even more if they get into a kite loop. The kite itself becomes a hard object moving at fast velocity and the ropes become razors. They can also wrap around each other easily, so would need to be spaced apart by a wide angle, the space being proportional to the length of the lines. A lot of power up there though. :)

[@Hana36951]

So cool!!

[@i_am_the_monkey_king]

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

[@newrenewableenergycontrol5724]

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.

[@yzzxxvv]

Amazing

[@extraincomesuz]

A fantastic idea! 🎉

[@darias5689]

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.

[@Alex-fl2yh]

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

[@hunter21331]

Very exciting

[@wizardofoz1390]

Brilliant I love this I live off grid

[@hellyripphin8357]

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

[@johndafoe600]

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!

[@jasonw3204]

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

[@timberwolfe1645]

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

[@alexnav3470]

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

[@asgeirlno5956]

but it is easier than autonomous cars. no corners, no pedestrians, no dogs (though birds....)

[@TheDestillers]

Does it? A string gets pulled and turns a turbine, I was thinking the appeal is in how simple it is. Perhaps the complications revolve around programming a computer that can set it up and take it down at the opportune moments, but i think the technology to do that exists already

[@NickDDDD]

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

[@DWPlanetA]

Hey there! Thank you! The LCOE of airborne wind energy is expected to fall by a lot in the next years. In 2025 it is projected to be 99 and in 2050 only 15. You can find out more here 👉 power.nridigital.com/future_power_technology_feb23/airborne_wind_energy

[@ryanmckenna2047]

Very promising.

[@kenhyde1781]

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

[@sarcasmo57]

Neato!

[@tomkelly8827]

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

[@DWPlanetA]

Hi Tom, great point! We've done a video on tidal energy before, you can view it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z16VhayBprVratE - let us know your thoughts in the comment section 😊

[@asgeirlno5956]

Minesto around 11.20 in the link below or above is the closest thing - we call them the Kitemill below the sea 😎

[@jacksonmagas9698]

The downside of bringing it under water is that tge environment is much harsher, with the corrosion from seawater and the higher max force to withstand

[@aaronfield7899]

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

[@DWPlanetA]

Good eye! That's the polar vortex. It's formed by low pressure and cold air in the Arctic and occurs naturally, although climate change could make it expand to more southern latitudes. Here's a more in-depth explanation from NOAA if you want to know more: : www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/understanding-arctic-polar-vortex

[@piotrwojdelko1150]

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

[@doxielain2231]

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.

[@sebestyenrif3858]

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....

[@SirusStarTV]

So f***ing interesting!

[@ladashylen2268]

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.

[@karlsoriso2304]

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

[@manmohantiwari6952]

i believe our engineers will certainly crack this impasse

[@ems4884]

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.

[@IraQNid]

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

[@timogul]

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

[@sudhanshurastogi1502]

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

[@notafox]

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

[@gregmijjares3725]

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

[@magnet0363]

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

[@honglinjia2882]

good!!!!!

[@yosimadsu2189]

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 🎈💨💨💨

[@just_in_key]

Reminds me of San Fransokyo from big hero six

[@tomkelly8827]

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.

[@DWPlanetA]

Hi Tom, have you seen our video on Hydrogen already? If not, you can watch it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d3i3m36Afdpsb8U 🙌

[@kristianpetrick]

You don't need helium or hydrogen to keep a kite in the air, it stays there with the wind. By flying cross-winds, i.e. faster than the wind, you generate the power to be turned into electricity.

[@bentcn8511]

Great for the northwest coast in america.

[@timw7946]

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

[@zperdek]

Wind blows always up there. Sometimes so fast that even wind turbines has to brake to stop or they would be destroyed.

[@user-vg2rx2cf6k]

It is probably ticket to immortality.

[@anonimo2932]

Kiteman! Hellyeah!

[@jameshamilton2480]

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

[@DWPlanetA]

Hey there! It is still a concept and not in place yet.

[@jobvida]

Yes airborne wind energy is coming soon. I am starting to build the prototype that will become a commercial feasibility. Any body interested just message me.

[@micheleharbaugh8271]

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

[@wincoffin7985]

How do you deliver the energy that it harvests? Another cable? Microwaves?

[@aenorist2431]

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.

[@archmad]

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

[@inhabitantwaps3qs803]

thats how iceland gets its power geothermal

[@EumelHugo]

Ok, go on, start digging in your own garden, what's stopping you from doing so? "We can" is too abstract, you should use "I will" if you are really convinced of this idea.

[@glenndelacruz2906]

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

[@KougaJ7]

3:30 First cargoship to cross the ocean with a kite? Soon we'll be back to sailing boats and cutting fuel usage by 100%.

[@nicoh.1082]

3:31 😂

[@DRB68]

The technology to look at is by a company called Windswept

[@JGILLENKY]

I've thought about this forever and under water balloons

[@yonatanbehar3322]

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

[@DWPlanetA]

Oh that is a good tune! "You can dance on the breeze Over 'ouses and trees" 🌬

[@DownhillAllTheWay]

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

[@ejjaquez9849]

i mean, yes, but no. air density isn't appreciably different a few hundred feet up.

[@DownhillAllTheWay]

@@ejjaquez9849 Very true. In fact, I made a rather dumb statement. And anyway, 2^3 = 8 doesn't assume anything!

[@de0509]

Much of these designs are probably too complex to be maintained or repaired by the owner/user

[@jimwalmsley4318]

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.

[@DWPlanetA]

Hey Jim! Yes, exactly. Airborne wind generators have to be lit and marked both on the tether and device. Furthermore, they would usually be installed in areas where there is no near-earth flying. There is no unified legal framework yet but it would probably also include establishing restricted areas where no flights are allowed.

[@justinmyers6737]

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?

[@polymetric2614]

unless you had some kind of rigid tether I feel like it'd be pretty hard to transmit torque through it. i really like your thinking though.

[@justinmyers6737]

@@polymetric2614 Thanks. It would definitely have to be some pretty special material. But, not sure it has to be rigid. Look at weed eaters (and there's probably better examples).

[@dieg000n]

Working in the energy field, honestly it looks like BS hahah

[@malcolm_in_the_middle]

"Working in the energy field." What do you do in the energy field, human resources? You clearly have no idea what you're talking about.

[@tyalikanky]

Anything is better than traditional tower windmills

[@jeanfalconer6377]

I worry that this is going to privatise air, as with water or any common good.

[@anueyiagumichael8188]

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

[@quimblyjones9767]

"google invested in this project.." Ah so they dropped it a few years later?

[@tomeryud]

music is too loud

[@rzpogi]

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

[@MrKockabilly]

It's just a matter of time. When the Wright brothers made their first "successful" flight it was just a 37-meters range (about the length of 4 or 5 adjacent houses) and duration of just 12 seconds at a speed of around 11 kms per hour.

[@raahul101]

Why not built windmill on mountain 😮

[@solarwind907]

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.

[@DWPlanetA]

Hey there 😊 you can find the explanation starting minute 06:40. Hope this is helpful ✨

[@solarwind907]

@@DWPlanetA have the manufacturer provide a power curve at different wind speeds. Give one to a national testing laboratory, such as Sandia in the United States. This is a marketing video, nothing more nothing less. Thank you.

[@Hukkinen]

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

[@theblackwithin3457]

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.

[@rayrous8229]

It shouldn't take much to get a computer put in a giant kite to stabilize it. Then it can carry some propellers to power things.

[@elliot3147]

I thought this venture failed a while ago

[@EumelHugo]

Sky Sails went bancrupt. Makani has been discontinued by Google/Alphabet. To be continued ...

[@khunbenjamin]

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

[@DWPlanetA]

Hey there! The life span is approx the same as the life span of a wind turbine, meaning about 20-25years.

[@khunbenjamin]

@@DWPlanetA That is impossible

[@mariowanka8457]

But still works only when the weather wants to, not when needed.

[@nisanthvankayala]

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?😅

[@DWPlanetA]

Hey Nisanth, please check out the "read more" section for the basic concepts and physical foundations of airborne wind energy. 🙌🎐

[@malcolm_in_the_middle]

The kite stores energy in a battery and uses it to reel itself in once it reaches the end of its tether. There is an alternative setup with two kites, where the second kite is released once the first reaches the end of the tether, and the energy generated is used to reel in the first kite. I'm not sure why Skysails have abandoned this approach.

[@ss-pw4zj]

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

[@UberMick]

Ok, so wind turbines are a major hazard to bird populations, so the response to that is put more objects up there? Oh my...