6 high-flying clean energy generators

Sky-based deployment means unfettered wind and solar power.

UpdatedSat, March 5, 2016 at 5:30 PM UTC

By Cat DiStasio

Dirty fossil fuels come from the ground, but the future of energy is in the sky. Thanks to innovative engineers in the renewable energy industry, the world of high-altitude wind and solar generators is booming. Not only are these devices cleaner than fossil fuel alternatives, but they have the potential to generate more usable energy at a lower cost. High-altitude wind turbines can take advantage of faster wind speeds, and positioning solar arrays above the clouds yields better sun exposure without shadows blocking the rays.

Altaeros Energies' BAT is the world's first airborne wind turbine. The helium-filled device was launched over Fairbanks, Alaska, floating at 1,000 feet, where it could take advantage of wind speeds five to eight times faster than on the ground. Its makers are using the turbine to test the potential of high-altitude wind energy generation, with the hope of creating floating wind farms in the future.

On the ground, there are plenty of overcast days when getting a glimpse at the sun is a rare occurrence. For solar panels, those days result in less energy generated, and there's very little anyone can do about it. To address this problem, Japan-based NextPV is looking up -- way up. The company wants to float solar balloons 3.7 miles above the earth’s surface, where there's no interference from clouds to reduce energy conversion potential.

Google couldn’t resist getting in on the renewable energy game, especially when innovation took to the skies. The search giant acquired Makani Power, which has developed an 84-foot "Energy Kite" that resembles a tethered drone with eight propellers. The kites fly in circles and can send 600kW back down to earth.

According to the project leader, Google co-founder and CEO Larry Page encouraged the team to crash at least five of the prototypes. Apparently Page subscribes to that old adage that if you’re not failing, you’re not trying hard enough.

Dubai is an early adopter of many green technologies, and high-flying solar energy generation is no exception. Nearly six years ago, Carlos Campos Yamila Zynda Aiub Architects developed plans for a cloud of flying solar "robots" that would float in the air to collect energy. Each so-called Wing would be equipped with its own GPS flight navigator, wind sensors, LED illumination devices and a photovoltaic panel. Although the project, Choreographies in the Sky, never became a reality, the concept is an example of practical uses for high-altitude renewable energy generation devices.

Another example of early kite-based wind energy concepts is the high-altitude system from KiteGen. In 2012, the company unveiled plans for large kites capable of producing gigawatts of clean energy. KiteGen aimed to establish wind farms made up of the high-flying kites, which could generate electricity at a much lower cost than fossil fuels.

TwingTec is a Swiss startup with a slightly different take on the flying turbine. The company’s TT100 is a short tethered wing that floats nearly 1,000 feet above the ground. It’s designed to be fully autonomous, and the whole system packs into a single 20-foot shipping container. The turbine is easily deployable, which makes it especially well suited for use in remote locations. TwingTec estimates that just one of its winged wind energy generators can offset 26,400 gallons of diesel fuel and save 240 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year.

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The world's first airborne wind turbine

Altaeros Energies' BAT is the world's first airborne wind turbine. The helium-filled device was launched over Fairbanks, Alaska, floating at 1,000 feet, where it could take advantage of wind speeds five to eight times faster than on the ground. Its makers are using the turbine to test the potential of high-altitude wind energy generation, with the hope of creating floating wind farms in the future.

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6 high-flying clean energy generators

Sky-based deployment means unfettered wind and solar power.

The world's first airborne wind turbine

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