Here is an indication on the text of the video above:
Developed by China Energy Engineering Corporation Limited, the 5,000-square-meter kite completed a full in-air deployment and retraction test on Wednesday in Alxa Left Banner, Inner Mongolia.
The website below includes some analysis concerning the choice of the parachute-based project.
An excerpt:
During the conference, Zhang Li, vice president of CEEC China Power Engineering Consulting Group Co., Ltd. shared CEEC’s progress in this field, highlighting the key features and advantages of the parachute-based airborne wind energy technology.
According to him, the company’s approach offers three critical advantages compared to other airborne wind power technologies.
First, the high-altitude wind resource is extremely abundant, with reserves far exceeding global electricity consumption by over a hundredfold.
Second, due to the stability and intensity of high-altitude winds, airborne wind can provide significantly more full-load hours for power generation.
Third, the parachute-based airborne wind energy technology adapts exceptionally well to low wind speeds, enabling effective generation even in weak wind conditions.
The last point is interesting.
For what I saw, it looks like parachutes would be more efficient at low airflow speed, and when they are small.
Some measurements of the tension force of a parasail were performed.
But another reason for this good adaptation to “low wind speeds”, and perhaps the real reason, could be the behavior of the parachute itself (or rather a parasail in my opinion), capable of flying easily and generating significant energy even in light winds, while numerous units could fill the sky without major collision risks in bumper car mode, increasing energy production significantly.