Google Makani – Wind Energy Kites
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Google Makani – Wind Energy Kites
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Re: Google Makani – Wind Energy Kites
#2Completely breaks swipe-back gesture in Chrome on a Mac. In a really weird way. Left and right swiping takes you up and down the page. Really awkward.
Re: Google Makani – Wind Energy Kites
#3I'm still a bit confused about how the forces line up for the flight path. If I'm understanding:
- the wing flies in a circle which is perpendicular to the wind (oriented the same way an ordinary wind turbine would be)
- the tether is up-wind from the wing, so the force from the tether pulls the wing into the wind which generates lift, which is used to propel the wing along the circular path
- the propellers are driven by the circular movement of the wing, and generate electricity
So the tether and the wing generate movement, the movement spins the propellers, and the propellers drive the generator. Except for take-off and positioning, where they are used as motors. Am I understanding this?
Re: Google Makani – Wind Energy Kites
#4Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that wind turbines were effectively unsustainable due to the materials they are made of and their actual lifespan not offsetting the initial financial and environmental costs.
Now, I understand that this project is supposed to provide greater versatility and efficiency using cheaper materials, but it seems to me (by no means an expert on the subject) that these kites are considerably more prone to damage by their very nature too.
Honest question, is this really solving a problem?
P.S.: this website is absolutely horrible to navigate.
Re: Google Makani – Wind Energy Kites
#5I'm still a bit confused about how the forces line up for the flight path. If I'm understanding: - the wing flies in a circle which is perpendicular to the wind (oriented the same way an ordinary wind turbine would be) - the tether is up-wind from the wing, so the force from the tether pulls the wing into the wind which generates lift, which is used to propel the wing along the circular path - the propellers are driv…
I think that's more or less it.
I think what they're doing is a milder version of dynamic soaring, which is a popular technique used among RC glider pilots (and some birds).
The speeds attainable are pretty insane, the current RC record is 505 MPH, which in a rather fascinating twist is faster than the fastest POWERED RC aircraft.
This a video that shows a pretty good idea of what it looks like, at compartively slower speeds.
Re: Google Makani – Wind Energy Kites
#6I'm still a bit confused about how the forces line up for the flight path. If I'm understanding: - the wing flies in a circle which is perpendicular to the wind (oriented the same way an ordinary wind turbine would be) - the tether is up-wind from the wing, so the force from the tether pulls the wing into the wind which generates lift, which is used to propel the wing along the circular path - the propellers are driv…
Here's a Ted talk from 2009 about the early version of the tech.
http://www.ted.com/talks/saul_griffith_on_kites_as_the_futur...
The tethered airframe converts wind into high-speed lateral motion, sort of like a sailboat would if it were sailing into the wind. These higher speeds can drive the blades faster than if they were simply pointed at a wind source.
Re: Google Makani – Wind Energy Kites
#7Completely breaks swipe-back gesture in Chrome on a Mac. In a really weird way. Left and right swiping takes you up and down the page. Really awkward.
Scrolling with a standard pointing device was off too. FWIW. YMMV.
Re: Google Makani – Wind Energy Kites
#8Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that wind turbines were effectively unsustainable due to the materials they are made of and their actual lifespan not offsetting the initial financial and environmental costs. Now, I understand that this project is supposed to provide greater versatility and efficiency using cheaper materials, but it seems to me (by no means an expert on the subject) that…
"effectively unsustainable"
Got any data or a link to a resource that will back this claim up?
Re: Google Makani – Wind Energy Kites
#9Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that wind turbines were effectively unsustainable due to the materials they are made of and their actual lifespan not offsetting the initial financial and environmental costs. Now, I understand that this project is supposed to provide greater versatility and efficiency using cheaper materials, but it seems to me (by no means an expert on the subject) that…
I've never heard the argument that current wind turbine are unsustainable before. I don't see why that would be so. The base is concrete, the tower is steel, neither of which is exotic. The generator is pretty standard. All of that is industrial tech we invented a century ago, and we know how to maintain it for the long haul.
The blades themselves are composite, that may have some longevity issues (you typically need to paint carbon fiber to prevent UV degradation every view years), but I don't know, they can last for a long time. Fiberglass boats last 50+ years.
I would imagine the designed lifecycle of a wind turbine is 25+ years, and I also imagine that the bases will last long beyond that. In 50 years we may have to go around and replace the blades on these things, but that's it.
Re: Google Makani – Wind Energy Kites
#10Good, could people just stop messing with how scrolling works.