US Hawks Hang Gliding Association

from the German

Wind power station in the sky: How Google will generat clean energy with high-tech kite
Author: Kim Rixecker
Contact:Date:18/03/2015, 10:53 am Clock
Google X works with Makani on a very unusual wind energy solution: this highly modern kite will be significantly more effective than existing wind power plants.
Google X, the research arm of the search giant from Mountain View
Today's wind turbines are not nearly efficient enough. Google's solution: wind turbines mounted on aircraft, which are similar to a glider on a cable connected to a ground station and float in circlular motions in the sky. The installed propeller bring the aircraft into the air and are then used to produce wind energy.
The project is called Makani which means wind in Hawaiian. The idea goes back to an eponymous startup that Google acquired in 2013 and transferred to the Google X project. Makani is to be used especially in areas where wind energy was not a sensible option so far. According to Google, conventional wind power plants can be put to good use in only 15 percent of the world's land mass. Since the Google dragon can reach a greater height to Makani can be put to good use in many more areas.
http://t3n.de/news/google-makani-windenergie-600487/

The Makani solution choice among kite-energy options is one among hundreds.
The premier launch site for the kite-energy community:
http://www.energykitesystems.net/AWESMuseum/index.html
where is found also a link to the open forum that invites all in the world who are interested in kite energy to advance the tech to gather and share.

Most all active research kite-energy systems are operating in the troposphere.

Makani wants to fly its next:
84 ft span wing this month.
http://bnnovation.com/google-will-fly-8 ... d-turbine/

Our open public forum:
AirborneWindEnergy

Some of the tech being developed in kite energy industry will be affecting hang gliding community adventures.

Here is a 2012 TU Delft video
Kite Power Generator demonstrates autopilot

Rod Read on April 6, 2015

Daisy Launch demo

Cool video Joe!!

It was interesting to see them generating power when the ground-based windmills were standing still.

Unfortunately, the caption text was a little too fuzzy for me to read most of it. They might increase the font size slightly for better readability.

Overall, it's very promising technology. One of the claims about global warming is that we're putting more energy into the atmosphere. This technology lets us take that energy ... back out!!!