Kitemill - Airborne Wind Energy

Lode Carnel, technical manager at Kitemill, presents their work related to airborne wind energy.

[HOctayo]

I've been watching some videos about this and what no one talks about is operational cost, which I think is what will put it out of the market. I think requires a lot more qualified supervision than a conventional 3 blade turbine. Having 1 km unattended cable with a kite attached to it can become a hazard not only for planes but also for people on the ground if by any chance becomes loose or if a software failure makes it crash or difficult to control. I imagined it for events, parties, concerts, etc... but then started thinking you still need diesel generators "just in case", plus qualified engineers to operate the kites. Things to think about, great idea but needs a lot of improvement to succeed. Humans have been harvesting energy from the wind for thousands of years (Sailing) and kites are also quite old, this has been tried and thought in the past, not sure why it has not become a "thing" but might be a good start...What happened to previous projects? Good luck!

[HOctayo]

I would fly a "Laid 8" figure, so you avoid having the kite pointing straight down.