Airborne Wind Turbines can Generate Electricity, Researchers Say

Kite-like wind turbines deployed around the world could generate as much as 7.5 terawatts of electricity, a new study has reported.

University of Delaware scientists say that there are several areas where flying wind turbines could be used.

"These areas, which we call 'wind speed maxima,' form much more often and in more regions than we thought," said Cristina Archer, associate professor in UD's College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment and lead author of the study. "That was a surprise."

The idea of using airborne wind energy devices that are tethered to the ground by a cable isn't new. According to the scientists, several companies have already developed prototypes for the turbine, but none have been commercially viable yet.

Unlike land-based or offshore wind turbines, airborne devices are cheap to make and deploy. Currently, the turbines are placed between 200 meters and 3 kilometers, Archer said.

For the study, Archer and colleagues used data from National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) collected between 1985 and 2005. They used meteorological models to analyze the information. Archer then identified areas that witnessed regular wind speeds of 10 meters per second or more.

"These wind speed maxima are jet-like profiles with higher than expected wind speeds," Archer said in a news release.

The team was surprised to find that about a quarter of the land area was suitable for airborne wind turbine use. American Great Plains and the Somali jet offshore the Horn of Africa were prime locations for these devices.

In the next part of the study, the team tried to find how much energy would be generated by these airborne devices. Their estimates suggest that these kite-like wind turbines would lead to 7.5 terawatts of electric power, which is more than enough to meet worldwide demands for electricity.

Archer and the team will now be refining their estimates to account for transmission losses and climate variability to give a more precise calculation of net electricity generated by these devices.

The study is published in the journal Renewable Energy.

Several multinational companies are now investing heavily in wind energy to meet their energy requirements. IKEA recently purchased an Illinois-based wind farm. The trend of buying wind power began when Walmart, the world's largest retailer, bought Duke Energy-owned wind farm in Texas. Facebook and Google have also invested in wind projects.