Flying kites deliver container-sized power generation

Post by Vvector » Thu, Jan 18, 2024, 5:26 PM UTC

cjbgkagh wrote: post #8

skyleradams wrote: post #6

Not to be a HN naysayer, but wasn't this tried already with Makani Power?[1] They even made a documentary about it[2] Compared to traditional wind turbines, this solution trades an enormous amount of complexity, maintenance, etc for small reductions in material cost. We should be churning out traditional wind turbines for cheap instead. [1] https://x.company/projects/makani/ [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd_hEj…

This is a very different approach. The google approach is making an airplane fly in circles generating continuous power, this slowly lets a kite out then reels it in generating pulsed power that would need a battery to smooth out. This approach can use pretty standard kite technology which is far cheaper than airplane technology.

Post by cjbgkagh » Thu, Jan 18, 2024, 5:32 PM UTC

jacquesm wrote: post #16

cjbgkagh wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a very different approach. The google approach is making an airplane fly in circles generating continuous power, this slowly lets a kite out then reels it in generating pulsed power that would need a battery to smooth out. This approach can use pretty standard kite technology which is far cheaper than airplane technology.

Use multiple kites in a staggered pattern so one of them is always generating near peak power. That complexity of course offsets all of the gains, but that's fine because it illustrates why this is an idea that just won't fly.

Post by cjbgkagh » Thu, Jan 18, 2024, 5:35 PM UTC

smusamashah wrote: post #20

How is the kite raised initially and what happens when air stops, how is it re-raised? Reading the article seems like it's pulled back if air is stopping, and slowly released based on air speed perhaps.

Post by jacquesm » Thu, Jan 18, 2024, 5:45 PM UTC

cjbgkagh wrote: post #23

jacquesm wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Use multiple kites in a staggered pattern so one of them is always generating near peak power. That complexity of course offsets all of the gains, but that's fine because it illustrates why this is an idea that just won't fly.

Batteries are fine, the majority of the time it'll be in the pull stage as once depowered (the power is taken out of the kite by releasing the brake lines) you can bring the kite back down pretty quickly. Having two with the cycles staggered would reduce this but you need batteries anyway because you can't rely on demand being flat. The algorithms to control the kite are pretty straightforward, the complexity to self…

Post by pierrekin » Thu, Jan 18, 2024, 5:55 PM UTC

IshKebab wrote: post #28

datadrivenangel wrote: post #11

60 square meters of kite surface area is a lot of pull. 5 square meters can be enough to pick up 100kg in the right wind conditions.

Based on the numbers from the article: 40 kW * 80 s / 500 m is 650 kgf. So maybe it will work. Still I feel like as soon as you get a moment of calm it will all break. The wind may be very reliable in places but is it ever so reliable that you don't get moments of calm for hours at a time?