A workgroup of the University of Delft is creating electricity with a kite. They were testing on the Dutch island Texel.
You see several launches of the kite, one from the ground and two with the help of a blimp.
The tests are part of the ‘Laddermill’ project by Wubbo Ockels, which aims to create energy from wind more efficiently than windmills. In this video, you can see how Dutch scientists have successfully demonstrated a plan which could harness renewable energy, by flying a 10 metre kite.
One heck of a traction kite – and interesting snippets of the gear sitting in the 4WD. But how exactly do the kite lines interface to the power generation? I’m guessing that the kite pulls out line to spin a turbine, then they re-trim the kite and pull it right back in, before repeating the cycle… Or perhaps they intend to run the generator up and back along a long straight track, like a robotic kite-surfer!