After a long development process, Altaeros Energies engineers have unveiled the first productive prototype high-altitude wind energy Airborne Wind Turbine. An effort to harness strong winds at high altitude, Altaeros has developed a floating wind turbine that is a cross between a traditional windmill and a dirigible.
After some successful testing, the Altaeros team is hopeful that this new levitation wind turbine can be a viable clean energy option for remote villages, hard-to-reach areas and military zones. Altaeros Energy is one of the few companies specializing in the development of systems to capture the strongest and most stable winds at high altitudes.
CLEAN AND INEXPENSIVE ENERGY CAPTURED AT HIGH ALTITUDE
The technology is designed to capture wind at altitudes of more than 1,000 meters. The design of the Altaeros Airborne wind turbine is quite simple. An inflatable, filled with helium raises it off the ground at high altitudes, where winds are stronger than at ground level. The air turbines are kept balanced by anchors on the ground, which send the electricity generated by the turbine to a battery that feeds it into the grid.
For decades, wind turbines have required huge cranes and towers to lift a few hundred feet off the ground where wind may be insufficient due to low wind speed. Altaeros was founded in 2010 by MIT and Harvard student Ben Glass. Earlier this year, the team completed testing of a thirty-five foot scale prototype of the Airborne wind turbine at the Limestone, Maine location. There, the floating turbine ascended to reach over three hundred feet in altitude. Successfully completing production and endurance tests.
READ IT IN SPANISH: Altaeros Energies presentan Airborne Wind Turbine, La nueva revolución de la energía eolica
The elevation technology is an adaptation of aerostats, or their cousins the passenger airships that for decades have lifted communications equipment and other technology into the air for long periods of time. Aerostats are qualified to resist hurricane-force winds and have safety features that ensure a slow descent to the ground.
Airborne was featured on the March 2011 cover of Popular Mechanics. In December of that same year, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released the required draft guidelines for the new class of airborne wind systems as they were placed in current regulations. Winning first prize in the competition organized by ConocoPhillips Energy, the Boston-based company is currently seeking to partner with other companies to build and test a commercial-scale turbine.
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