Flying windmills could harness the jet stream

Flying windmills tapping jet stream wind currents may sound far fetched, but groups in the US, Netherlands and Canada say such devices may soon be within reach. If successfully developed, they could harness an enormous amount of reliable, renewable energy.

"If we were able to tap 1% of the wind energy at high altitude, that would be enough to supply all the world's energy needs," says David Shepard, president of renewable energy startup Sky WindPower, in Coronado, California.

Shepard says he plans to begin building a 220kw Flying Electric Generator (FEG) prototype later in 2007, and hopes to have it flying at 4500 metres by the summer of 2009. Sketches of the contraption show four rotary blades connected to an H-shaped aluminum frame, which is tethered to the ground by a high-voltage power line.

The current prototype (see video, above) is based on an earlier model that was first flown in the 1980s by Sky WindPower's chief engineer, Bryan Roberts of the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia (See Reach for the sky).

Both models take off like helicopters powered by their electric tether. Then, once their rotors catch the jet-stream wind, they feed electricity back to the ground like traditional wind turbines with their rotors rotated to the horizontal.
Wing-shaped kites

Roberts, Shepard and others recently wrote a journal paper that sets out the details of their idea.

Shepard expresses great confidence in his projections, saying clusters of the devices will soon be flying at heights up to 9000 metres, providing renewable energy that out-competes all other fuels. "It's going to beat fossil fuels and nuclear power economically within 10 years," he claims.

Researchers at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands are working on a slightly different high-flying generator called a Laddermill. The mill is made up of a series of wing-shaped kites that generate energy by rotating a large loop to which they are connected.
Curved fins

But a third group pursuing airborne wind generation says high-altitude jet stream currents are not worth the trouble. "When you go that high, there is this massive cable that you have to deal with," says Mac Brown, CEO of renewable energy start-up Magenn Power, of the electric tether connecting the generator to the ground.

"We've looked at all kinds of wind maps, and there is loads of wind in the 180 to 300 metre range," he says.

Brown's company uses a helium-filled blimp with curved fins that harness this lower altitude wind (see video, below). This causes the aircraft's midsection to spin, rotating power generators at each end.

The company flew a 3 x 7 metre prototype in 2006 that was too small to carry the weight of these generators. Brown says he now hopes to build a larger balloon "the size of a three-story house" and capable of lifting 1100kg.
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Rising support for homeowners getting green grants

To accompany the new Home Information Packs that came into force yesterday, a new system was also announced that will help homeowners to save energy and money by modifying their homes with ‘green grants’.

Communities and Local Government say that most people are unaware that they could be entitled to a typical grant of £100-£300 towards the price of loft and cavity wall insulation to reduce energy consumption.

The new system is also linked to the new Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs), which will give homeowners a ‘home energy rating’ – the combined systems will make it easier for consumers to get access to the grants in order to make the eco-friendly improvements recommended in the certificates.

Measures recommended by EPCs could save consumers as much as £300 a year off their energy bills, in addition to cutting the amount of non-renewable resources used in British homes, which could amount to a saving of one million tonnes of carbon a year by 2020, according to the Energy Saving Trust.

Housing Minister Yvette Cooper said: “Energy certificates have the potential to cut family fuel bills by hundreds of pounds. But it can still be a real hassle getting the work done. Most people don’t know these grants are available or don’t know how to apply for them. This means it should be much easier for homebuyers to get help to cut their fuel bills and carbon emissions too. It could save hundreds of pounds on insulation and hundreds off pounds on their fuel bills too.”

To encourage more environmentally-friendly homes and cut fuel bills, the eight major fuel companies have agreed that home-buyers will have immediate access to information about green grants and the measures they can take to improve the efficiency of their homes. This will include a new function on the Energy Saving Trust’s website, whereby consumers can gain easy access to the help available in their area by entering their postcode.

Paul King, Chief Executive of the UK-BC (Green Building Council), has said:

“It’s really very simple. We will fail to prevent the worst effects of climate change unless we make huge improvements to the energy efficiency of our existing homes. The new Energy Performance Certificates provide an essential tool for doing this.

"By showing people, for the first time, how their homes rate in terms of energy consumption, and giving them user-friendly advice about the most cost-effective ways of improving their performance, we can all be equipped to do something meaningful to tackle climate change.”
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Centrica Acquires 50% Interest in UK’s Newest Wind Farm

Centrica, the owner of British Gas, has acquired a 50 per cent interest in a Scottish onshore wind farm, increasing its level of renewable generation capacity. The Braes of Doune project in Stirlingshire took the UK’s total wind capacity past 2,000MW for the first time when it was fully commissioned today.

Centrica paid £42 million in cash for its share of the wind farm and will also take the entire output of the 72MW development, which will produce enough electricity to power the homes of 46,000 British Gas customers.
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Ten ways to cut your carbon footprint at work

In addition to buying green electricity, another initiative to consider is generating your own energy on-site from renewable sources. Micro-generation equipment, such as solar panels and wind turbines, has become more mainstream and is even available from some DIY stores.

First Direct in Stourton, Leeds, has recently installed 100m2 of roof-mounted solar panels at its offices. These can generate in excess of 10,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity each year. The panels make a significant contribution to reducing the energy requirements of the site's crèche and will reduce the building's carbon footprint by more than four tonnes.
The cost of solar panels and wind turbines starts at a few thousand pounds, and grants are available from the government. Private businesses, community organisations, schools, the public and not-for-profit sector, and householders can all apply. Log on to www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk to find out more about the scheme.
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