The Windmill of the Future Could Be Floating in the Sky

[didymus]

The Atlantic:

The Windmill of the Future Could Be Floating in the Sky

Don Quixote famously—infamously—tilted at windmills.
Were his story set today, though, Cervantes might have to change things up a bit: the monsters the self-styled knight battles might be set in the sky. Soon, in the airs above Fairbanks, Alaska, a wind turbine will be launched. It will use helium to hover above the ground, obviating the need for poles—and, for that matter, for land. The massive balloon will be, Gizmodo reports, the world’s first floating commercial wind turbine.

The device is unfortunately not named the “Sky Donut.” It is instead called the Buoyant Wind Turbine, or BAT. And its creator, the Boston-based startup Altaeros Energies, has developed it as an alternative to diesel generators—in, for example, remote communities or disaster areas where those generators might not be easily available. The idea is to harness the energy generated by the air that churns high above the surface of the Earth.

BAT isn’t alone in its effort to serve as a high-flying harnesser of energy. Several other researchers have been racing to develop floating wind turbines, IEEE Spectrum reports. But the project in Alaska, Altaeros claims, represents the technology’s first longer-term, commercial project.

Looks like a neat idea – at least it won’t take up real estate – I wonder it will kill fewer birds.

 

[Petaro]

One of the most interesting ideas I have heard of for renewable energy is the building of giant chimneys with turbines built internally at various levels. Built in the outback of desert areas of Australia and other very hot areas of the earth these would rely on the principle that hot air rises. If the ambient temperature at sea level is say 45 degrees centigrade as it often is in large swaths of Australia you could generate current very easy from these internal wind mills.
If you wanted to start the process within the Mt. Isa Mines which reach 1900 meters below the surface and temperatures are well above 55 degrees then you could have renewable energy within an already developed infrastructure which includes three smelters and many miles of mining.

 

[PaulfromIowa]

Floating bird exterminators.

 

[Nelka]

I don’t know what’s wrong with having thousands of massive coal plants. We have lots of coal let’s burn it!

If you are worried about the co2, surely one of these super scientists know how to convert that to energy or something clean considering we do it with used water.

 

[Petaro]

We in Australia have millions of tonnes of coal so i can only agree we should use it. We have massive reserves of iron ore, gold silver, bauxite and a third of the world’s reserves of Uranium. We also have some of the largest deposits of shale oil in the world. So I am happy if the world either stays with fossil fuels, including shale oil or goes nuclear. We will be right Mate! But some worry about the effect on the environment. The verdict is not in yet. But the Scottish blood in me loves the idea of free energy from rising air or running water. Once built, little maintenance and no bad by products. I hate those ugly wind mills that have destroyed the British landscape. But a few thousand chimneys built where no one ever goes (and this is three quarters of Australia) would not be too much of an eyesore. ( I think it is imperative for Australia to become nuclear armed as we will not always be able to rely on such a weakened America as we are so close to China.Watch what happens in the Ukraine! )