Balloons set to take wind power to new heights
May 29 - Boston-based company Altaeros has developed a new wind power generator in the form of a giant balloon they say will offer a cheap renewable energy alternative to communities off the grid. Ben Gruber has more.
Comments
-
Do these engineers have a shred of conscience about what these giant contraptions are doing to the world's scenery? I've never seen such a soulless bunch of "environmentalists" as the wind power clan. They want to fill the world with millions of large eyesores and call it "green" just because it doesn't emit fumes during use. But wind power won't replace core functions of fossil fuels or really do much about CO2 (do the research).
-
this would be better if the balloon was the propeller and the generator was on the ground. the tether could act as a drive shaft. could even suspend the tether via multiple balloons
-
Why didn't we think of this back then when we made zeppelins?
-
How will an aircraft see the cables before its too late? Specially in cloudy weather. You'd have to make no fly zones where ever you set up these things! It's not worth a plane full of people.
-
Helium is not that cheap though.
-
Mice nuts compared to the wind power. It'd just add cost, complexity, and weight for a negligible amount of power compared to what the turbine makes.
-
I love balloons
-
Make it a kite you mean? but kites fall when there is not enough wind. Also what is the point of pumping something with air that is not lighter than surrounding air?
-
Why using hydrogen or helium? Keep it pumped up with air and design in such a way to sustain it self in the air by the electricity generated and aerodynamics?
-
& if it break away from its moring or its holed
-
Seems slightly hazardous and creative none the less
-
This is too weird, after watching the post about the giant blades, i was thinking about doing just this....but...too late
-
It should be able to go higher though...
-
Is it bomb-like or just something burning fast? I mean if you make that the only flammable thing all your left with is one big falling debris? and we have a solution for that: parachutes. Sounds crazy but so do many things. I'm almost sure that if that could not be shot down the military would already have brought it to perfection.
-
should wrap the skin with photovoltaic film to harness the solar energy
-
Of course we don't want this how else can exlon an shell with bp get help with there Maserati fund
-
Good idea, but we lack helium to run it on a large scale -.- So it has to be hydrogen, but then it would be a flying bomb just waiting to go of -.-
2m 34sLenght
148Rating