A Wind Turbine That Is Lighter Than Air

kite wind generator

The higher a wind turbine is off the ground, the more power it will generate as the wind blows faster when not impeded by hills, trees, and structures.  That is why windmills are placed atop tall towers.

Magenn Power has developed an ingenious prototype wind turbine that is suspended in the air like a kite and airship combined. This is thinking outside the box. This lighter-than-air turbine stays aloft with helium (the same gas  used in blimps and party  balloons). As it spins, it generates clean electricity from a natural resource. The power travels down cables to the ground. Without the need for a tower, the generator can be quickly launched anywhere to a height of 200 to 1,000 feet—way beyond the height of conventional steel tower generators. It will work in winds from 4 to 60mph and the power output is 10-25kW. As a comparison, that is eight to twenty times more power than my home photovoltaic system produces.

I like the elegance of a wind generator made mostly of fabric. This greatly reduces the amount of heavy materials and avoids the problem of rigging a permanent steel tower. There is also a beauty in something that floats. It feels more temporary and non-obtrusive—like a sailboat.

source: Magenn Power

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3 Comments

  1. Good desing. The float wind turbine is very popular in these 5 years. Lighter wind turbine is no noisy and easy to install. However there are still many problems, generator efficiency and security wind speed need to be considered.

  2. Flip it on its side, make it with thinner main blimp, and add three or 4.

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