Summary

Original source:
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3905763

Details

• High-altitude kites could be used to generate clean energy at a cost comparable with that of polluting power stations, researchers claim.
• The Laddermillâ is a chain of controllable wing-like kites attached to a looped cable stretching more than five miles into the sky.
• Strong high altitude winds acting on the â¬oekitewings⬠produce as upward force on one side of the loop and a downward force on the other, causing it to rotate.
• The slowly-turning cable drives a power generator in the Laddermill base station.
• Although the concept sounds far fetched, its developers at Delft Technical University in the Netherlands hope to build a working model in the next four years.
• They claim one Laddermill could generate 100 megawatts of electricity, compared with only a few megawatts from a conventional wind turbine.
• Team leader Professor Wubbo Ockels (correct) was inspired by making and flying powerful high-flying kites as a boy.
• Professor Ockels, an ex-astronaut and head of the European Space Agencyâ¬(TM)s education office, told The Engineer magazine: â¬oeAbove a certain altitude there is a massive amount of wind power.
• At last monthâ¬(TM)s European Wind Energy Conference in London, the Laddermill team announced plans to test a variety of kiteplane designs next year using inflatable and lightweight materials.
• They maintain that despite its size, the structure would be safe.
• Each wing would be automatically controlled by changing shape or using small propellers to alter position.
• The Laddermill would only be flown where aircraft are banned.
• One such area is the zone along the US-Mexican border, where high-flying balloons fitted with radar are used to combat drug traffickers.
• Professor Ockels says a few hundred of the installations, each requiring some 400 kites with 27ft wingspans, could generate enough electricity to supply the needs of a city the size of Seattle.

Related Articles

Popular Topics: Electricity, Natural health, Renewable energy, Diabetes, Breast cancer, Prostate cancer, Heart disease, Depression, High cholesterol, Osteoporosis, Vaccines, Autism, ADHD, Infertility, Weight loss, Cancer, Alzheimer's, Trans fats, Acrylamides, Fluoride, Mercury	Take Action: Support NaturalNews.com Email this article to a friend Share this article on: NewsVine | digg | del.icio.us Permalink to this article: http://www.NaturalNews.com/003588.html Reprinting this article: Non-commercial OK, cite NaturalNews.com with clickable link. <a href = "http://www.NaturalNews.com/003588.html">Kite-power on the move as potential replacement for expensive, dirty electric plants</a>
Receive our Natural Health Newsletter for FREE Subscribe now (it's free!) to win. We randomly choose a subscriber each month to send $100 in eco-home products or a RealGoods.com gift certificate (our choice). Plus, you'll receive FREE news, articles and action alerts from NaturalNews.com editors and join over 800,000 monthly readers who report extraordinary health improvements after becoming a subscriber! Receive breaking news alerts on natural health solutions, renewable energy, the environment, global warming and more. Receive a free instant download of our $29 Secret Sources guide that reveals top sources for little-known health and diet solutions.	Your Email Address: Free Subscription Code: Enter the numbers you see: 100% free of charge. Unsubscribe anytime. Absolutely no spam. We respect your email privacy.
Recommended Special Report: Seven Words that can Change the World by Joseph R. Simonetta Read this special report now... "Seven Words That Can Change the World reveals the astonishing, simple truths that have the power to forever transform our world for the better while freeing our minds from the enslavement of limiting beliefs. This is not a text for the simple-minded; it is a guiding philosophy for the mindful, intelligent few who are wise enough to seek out -- and recognize -- the higher simplicities of truly purposeful living." - Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, editor of NaturalNews.com	More on NaturalNews.com: • Streaming Health Ranger Videos • CounterThink Cartoons • FREE Special Reports • Podcasts