In this debunking of bladeless wind devices (dated March 22, 2021), Paul Gipe also wrote about SkySails.
Going for a trifecta, the Guardian then heads on over to Germany and its SkySails. I single out SkySails in my book for their attempt to use sails for ship propulsion. It was the one example of “airborne” wind energy that I thought had promise. Apparently, they’re still around. Most other airborne wind energy companies have failed. Most spectacularly, Google abandoned its Makani kite program in early 2020, an albatross—it much resembled—that burned through millions of the search engine’s money.
Barely casts a shadow. Check.
Whoa, that’s another new one I’ll have to add to the inventor’s checklist. The Spanish developers of the sky vibrator missed a lick there. They don’t cast much of a shadow either. I’ll bet those Alpha 311 VAWTs don’t cast a shadow as well—with or without wind.
SkySails, not to be outdone by the Spanish newcomers with their fossil fuel backers, notes that German utility RWE’s partnership with the firm will raise their kite’s power from its current 100 kW to 200 kW up to the megawatt size. That’s the same RWE that backed Quiet Revolution. RWE’s still at it too.
The Guardian packed a lot into one puff piece—three revolutionary inventions in one go. That doesn’t happen often.
Earlier in the article, about RWE:
Recall all the hoopla around the British inventors of the sleek VAWT Quiet Revolution and its backing by German utility RWE. As I note in my book, RWE wasn’t a significant developer of wind energy in its home market—one of the largest wind markets in the world at the time. In fact it was an ardent opponent of wind energy. When RWE finally pulled their support, Quiet Revolution quietly disappeared. Typically the investment in small wind by electric utilities or oil companies has been the kiss of death.
This article resembles, in its argument, @dougselsam’s debunking Comments. The signs of failures are identified, but for the causes, concerning the AWE sector for power generation, and in addition to Doug’s comments: Barnard's predictions.