Dutch researchers have demonstrated a prototype wind energy generator that uses kites, rather than wind turbines. The kites can ascend to heights a half mile or more above the ground, where the winds are much stronger and more reliable than those that drive the near-earth wind turbines.
Scientists from Delft University in the Netherlands have developed a 10 square meter kite (ca. 100 square feet), that in tests produced 10 kilowatts of electrical power when tethered to a generator - enough to serve 10 homes. They say that the idea can be easily scaled to produce megawatts of electricity at prices comparable to coal fired electrical generators - far cheaper than wind turbines.
Last year Google invested $10 million in an American company with a similar idea, called Makani.
The link to the article in the Guardian is here:
A link to the description of the project on the website of the Delft University of Technology is here:
And a link to an article on a similar scheme from Italy, from Wired News, is here:
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