Airborne solar wind energy systems (ASWES)

I already tested the turning of a solar balloon by a central rope: deflation was very fast, even with large volumes. So the reel-in phase would be facilitated. And a solar balloon heats up quickly, quickly reaching its limit, adding a bit of force during power reel-out phase.

The parachute on my sketch above is a little like the balloon I tested, comprising a large opening.

Here solar energy (by day) or infrared (by night) would allow the kite to stay in the air (avoiding some takeoff and landing operations), even when there is no wind. But the power / mass ratio has to be high: it is the reason why I thought about a yo-yo system with a flexible kite. Such a use would not be possible with a turbine (Kiwee or another) aloft adding weight, above all when scaling. Indeed heat generated by infrared is not high, but can be sufficient for a kite-balloon.

When there is sunshine. But when there is no sun or by night, the lifting force and the tether angle would be lesser, and perhaps the whole system would be too heavy to stay in the air. For a stationary device, too significant changes of tether angles may also result in the loss of the advantage of being stationary.

To supply warning lights is an obvious application. There are many possible applications for ASWES that I have initiated in this topic. I described some configurations with photovoltaic films for electricity generation, and just before some methods for thermal solar energy.

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