Royal Dutch Shell invests in green power kite - https://www.ft.com/content/b56113de-c071-11e6-9bca-2b93a6856...

http://www.kitepower.eu/technology.html

http://www.kitenergy.net/technology-2/key-points/

This is incredibly interesting, I highly recommend reading the articles linked, the innovations being made in energy technology are fascinating.

Thanks for those links, Jim. Very interesting indeed!

Now that is COOL!

I read through the posts and signed up for their newsletter. Most interesting. I do have a couple of questions. First, how do you launch that beast? Helicopter perhaps? Second, parasitic drag of those big lines has got to be an issue, particularly once they get covered with the remains of large birds. No kidding, that might be a real issue. Third, the kite is described as a DP with the ability to change its AOA for the purposes of reeling it back in to start the figure 8s again, but the diagrams only show two lines out at the ends of what appears to be a massive LEI. I suspect that the could be additional control lines perhaps sheathed to the main lines that bridge out at the kite to a pulley system but that isn't shown. Finally, I wonder about how constant high altitude wind is even in the best of spots. High enough and constant enough to guarantee these kites stay up permanently?

Bottom line, cool. Thanks Jim for the most provocative post.

The best part is that this sort of stuff will advance kite design and efficiency, which eventually will work its way down to us.

Who knew our crazy sport would save all mankind?

It must be based on the work and ideas by our late professor and astronaut Wubbo Ockels.
It was called the 'ladder mill' project.

In the youtube video's you can find on this, the well known Peter Lynn Twinskin depower kites were used as well.




I own a custom PL Venom II 10m kite used in that project in the one-of-a-kind TU Delft blue color.
:-)