SYDNEY: High-flying Kites could harness enough energy to power the world 100 times over, according to a survey of high-altitude winds.
Kite-driven generators have been suggested as one method of capturing this energy. In principle, they work by using the strong pull of the wind to drive a land-based turbine, tethered to the kite via a cable.
Published in the journal Energies, the study reports that areas well suited to harvesting high altitude winds fall over some of the world's major cities such as New York and Tokyo.
"The wind energy aloft is phenomenal. Energy densities unthinkable near the ground are common in the upper levels of the atmosphere," said Cristina Archer, lead author and a meteorologist at California State University in Chico, USA. "It's like a perpetual source of free energy."
work by using the strong pull of the wind to drive a land-based turbine, tethered to the kite via a cable.
clipped from: www.cosmosmagazine.com 