Joe Hadzicki
From Discourse 18

If you are anything like me, you are probably tired of all the promises of new and exciting inventions that are just over the horizon or about to change the world as we know it. I’m talking about the flying car in our garage, the trip to the moon for anyone interested, the miracle foods that end world hunger and keep you thin and fit no matter how much you eat … blah, blah, blah.

I’ve been reading about these miracle products in the popular science magazines for 50 years. Come to think of it, this is probably one of the reasons why I became an engineer. I’m so tired of these things never showing up that I’ve cancelled all my subscriptions. Now all I read is Discourse when I need a little “R and R.”

And now, lo and behold, the rumors begin again. The new promise is how the kiting community is about to revolutionize the world of regenerative power using kites and propellers in various forms to harness the wind for unlimited clean energy. Blah, blah, blah. Here we go again.

But wait. This isn’t rocket science or making a car fly or genetically modifying food. This is kite stuff. We know something about kites. Wow! Maybe it will be different this time. Maybe kitefliers will save the world!

Well, before we get all giddy like ten-year- old school kids, let’s go back to the basics of power. For a moment, consider a common form of power generation using coal. Burning coal generates power by heating water to create steam, which in turn spins the blades of a steam turbine. On the other end of the turbine shaft is a magnet that spins inside a coil of wire. By a special law of physics called Lentz’s Law, this combination causes electricity to flow in the wire. The electricity is then sent out into the power grid to light up homes, businesses, and society in general. But as global warming and environmental pollution has shown us, burning coal to create power has serious consequences for our way of life.

This is where kites come into the picture. We can use kites to harness the power of the wind without creating any pollution or greenhouse gases. In other words, CLEAN ENERGY. To do this, we can attach a propeller to a kite and, instead of using steam, we can use the wind to spin our propeller as the kite flies through the air. Then, as with the coal burning power plant, we can attach a magnet to the propeller shaft and spin it within a coil of wire, thus creating our own electricity-producing power plant.

As with most projects, especially the ones combining the electrical, mechanical, and aerodynamic sciences, the devil is in the details. So after you get over the euphoric feeling you get when you think about anti- gravity and perpetual motion machines, you start thinking about those pesky details.

For example: How do I get the electricity from the kite to the ground?

How do I avoid oscillations?

How do I keep the kite from catching fire?

What do I do with the power once I have it? Store it? Send it to the grid? Use it as I make it?

How do I launch and land the system?

Is there any way to mount the generator on the ground so I don’t have to lift all that steel, copper, and magnet into the sky?

How much power does it actually generate?

Perhaps that’s what engineers are for. Let them figure it out and let us get back to the fun part. The kite groups working on wind power are fascinating. The field is wide open and the possibilities are endless.

Schemes for new technology never lack creativity. Consider the following examples. I have included video links so you can see the actual concept. These are a few of my favorites for various reasons.

DAVE SANTOS / MOTHRA
youtube.com/watch?v=8XD6zFo1wWE

This i s an example of grassroots development. I’m not exactly sure how this is going to generate usable power, but I love the visual.

CORWIN HARDHAM / MAKANI AIRBORNE WIND TURBINE
youtube.com/watch?v=GSYMHzgLLn8
www.google.com/makani/

Makani’s current design is a high-aspect airplane platform having two motors/ generators per wing (one above each wing, one below). During launching and landing, the motors are used to create quad-copter- like stability. Once in a stable circular, tethered, kite-like pattern, the propellers now become electrical power generators, transferring the power back to the base station through the electrically conductive tether. Backed by Google Inc., this is one of the most promising contenders in the field. Sadly, Corwin Hardham died unexpectedly in 2012 at the age of 38.

DON MONTAGUE
youtube.com/watch?v=3wR6YX2fYcQ

Montague’s exploits while experimenting with kiteboating are spectacular. These guys know how to have fun at work! One of the great things about this video is how well it shows the power being developed under different scenarios, including varying wind conditions and various boat configurations including hydrofoils.

DR . GÁBOR DOBOS / U N – TETHERED AUTONOMOUS FLYING WIND POWER PLANT CHEMOTRONIK R&D LTD., HUNGARY

This project is interesting because they have gotten rid of the tether. This eliminates a lot of problems such as line length, line strength, and line obstacle to birds, planes, etc. However, new problems are created such as retrieving power, retrieving the flying device, etc.

There is no video yet. That’s why they are asking for an investment of $6 million dollars to get things going.

DOUG SELSAM / SUPERTURBINE
youtube.com/watch?v=KOGqURa1a8g

The passion and energy of this guy breathes life into his projects. His very creative approaches include a string of propellers lifted upward with helium balloons or a kite. As the propellers spin, the torque is transferred to the ground station by way of a flexible driveshaft.

GIOVANNI VERGNANO
youtube.com/watch?v=p7ilG78cBLg

The Roto kite is a cool variation on the kite/ propeller scheme where two kites are placed tip to tip, one facing forward, and the other reversed. This ends up creating a propeller-like arrangement which causes the kites to spin about their common tip. As the kites spin, their airspeed increases to cause lift, which pulls on their common tether line. This pulling force is used to spin the generator shaft to create power. The system requires a storage method (probably a battery) so that some of the stored energy can be used to reel the de-powered system back to the starting point where the whole process is repeated.

FLYGENKITE GROUP
youtube.com/watch?v=nc6ppJtRMmw

The newest entry brought to our attention is from the Flygenkite Group. Wind power schemes are a dime a dozen; everybody has one. A lot of people just pull ideas out of thin air and that’s as far as it goes. What I like about this scheme is that they took it to the next level and actually have a working model. Albeit primitive, it appears to work in principle. The other thing I like about it is that it’s inspirational. Heck, it makes me want to go out to the garage and build something.

As I get sucked into another Utopian dream, I realize these are not just far-fetched ideas that will never be realized, but are in actuality human nature reshaping its own world.

I’ve realized I shouldn’t be frustrated because these grand ideas haven’t been realized, but instead I should be energized by their creativity and inspired to reshape my own world.

Hmm, I think I’ll head out to the garage and see what I can put together. Let’s see, I need a propeller, some wire, a capacitor, an LED… ◆