Windmills in the Sky

Popular Science ^ | September 2005 (go figure) | Michael Behar

[SunkenCiv]

Bryan Roberts, an engineer at the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia, has a solution: Instead of erecting wind turbines on the ground, float them in the jet stream, a screamingly fast current of air that circles the globe, fluctuating between altitudes of 15,000 and 45,000 feet... huge squadrons of airborne FEGs will hover in the jet stream like giant kites. Winds of up to 200 miles an hour will spin rotors on the FEGs, generating an electrical current that’s transmitted along superstrong tethers to ground stations linked to the utility grid. "You might have 600 of them, each producing 20 megawatts," he says. "They could generate enough power for two Chicago-size cities."

[r9etb]

Or you could have 300 of them and power one Chicago-sized city. Just a thought.

LOL! Smartass.... ;-)

[r9etb]

It's a nice exercise, but an impractical idea.

It'd sure make for interesting air travel through the blimp corridor, that's for sure.

[GoldCountryRedneck]

...to eliminate the chances of air collision, aircraft... must stay further than 4.5km away."

Ya think??? Aircraft have enough problems currently with power lines and radio towers, even when they are well charted.

I think good solid nuclear reactors, on the ground, would solve a LOT of our energy problems.

[alwaysconservative]

Not to be a wet blanket or anything, but didn't we just recently help extricate a Russian sub that got caught in a fishing net? Does anyone else think the same thing could happen with these "tethers" and airborne vehicles and creatures? And I must be missing something: what's so bad about standard windmills, which certainly take a LOT less space?

[Fierce Allegiance]

Nuclear.

NUCLEAR!

[biblewonk]

WIND

[Fierce Allegiance]

Wind blows.

[SunkenCiv]

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[Fierce Allegiance]

Wind is a good supplemental energy source, but that's all. We need a efficient, reliable & clean energy source. Nukes fit the bill perfectly.

[biblewonk]

Should a hurricane tip over a $150 million, 260 ft tall wind generator, on the other hand

A single windmill is more like $3.5 million not $150 million.

[biblewonk]

Wind is a good supplemental energy source

What percent is good as a supplement?

[Fierce Allegiance]

As much as can be produced economically & reliably. It would be foolish to rely 100% on wind, because there is very little likelyhood it can produce 100% of our needs. Ever.

Nuke power can produce 100% of the power we require, regardless of weather.

[RightWhale]

The jet stream moves around a lot. It's not like they can put a giant kite up there and expect it to stay put.

[biblewonk]

I'd be pretty excited by 50 percent wind 15 percent hydro and 35 percent coal/gas/whatever and zero nuke myself. I don't think I'll be getting my way soon though.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

NUCLEAR!

WIND

TASTES GREAT!

LESS FILLING!

[Fierce Allegiance]

Nukes are still the cleanest and safest of the bunch. Besides, they usually build nice fishing piers near the cooling water outfalls.

I'm all for anything that can supplement fuel-reliant energy, but I won't hold my breath witing.

National Geographic had a recent article touting Nukes along with wind & solar as the clean choices for our future. I was kinda surprised they are in favvor of nukes. Maybe the light has been seen!

[biblewonk]

National Geographic had a recent article touting Nukes along with wind & solar as the clean choices for our future. I was kinda surprised they are in favvor of nukes. Maybe the light has been seen!

I'm surprised too. I'd like to see wind power replace nukes.

[Kevin OMalley]

I love bold ideas. bump

[SunkenCiv]

I think their idea involves mobility, so that if the jet stream shifts enough, it becomes economical to bring the things down, then kite 'em up where the jet stream moved to.

[SunkenCiv]

Hive got to agree with you on that. Yours is a honey of an idea.