KiteGen is a wind power generation system that makes use of medium altitude winds not accessible to ground based conventional wind power generators. The technology is being developed in Italy, with a base at the University of Turin.
Communities, even those that do not have ideal conditions for establishing a wind power site could, with a KiteGen facility obtain their energy by reaching for high altitudes. A no-fly zone would need to be established in the vertical at the generation site, as is already common for nuclear power stations or oil refineries.
According to Marco “magius” Giustini (gmagius at gmail dot com), the inventor, Massimo Ippolito, is willing to assign the patents for the technology to a commons-based collective entity (for instance a non-profit foundation), if this would help spread the technology widely and to balance profit with the interests of the commons. (See “Towards a Patent Commons for high-altitude wind energy“)
The technology is in the prototyping stage, all basic R&D has already been completed.
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The strong points for KiteGen are:
- the estimated low cost of electricity production, on the order of 0.05 Euro and less per Kilowatt/hour, which brings wind power into range of direct competition against fossil fuel based energy production and
- the fact that practically any community could own and run such a system, even if on-the-ground conditions for wind power are not optimal, as long as permission to occupy the vertical dimension can be obtained.
What is needed to help this technology to break through is some funding to continue constructing larger prototypes and some places to host demonstration plants.
More information can be found on a wikipedia page and on the official KiteGen website.
Today’s technology can only just scratch the surface, in few favourable points, of the enormous energy field contained in the wind. Current wind turbines cannot reach higher and to reach the stronger winds at higher altitudes, they are already close to their dimensional limits: it would be difficult to position generator hubs more than 100 meters above the ground, as the holding structure must grow exponentially heavier, it will be more unstable and above all more expensive with with increasing height.
Kites are semi-rigid large airfoils and they are tethered by a pair of nylon ropes to the end of a long, movable “stem”. Their flight path is electronically controlled and the power is generated through a heavy pull the kite exercises on the ropes, as well as through a turning motion induced in the long lever or stem. After the ropes have reached their maximum extension, the kite can be hauled in closer to then repeat the cycle of energy generation.
A YouTube video demonstration gives an idea of just how the system works.