Alaeros Energy to test their floating wind turbine at 1000 feet
Posted By RichC on April 8, 2014
Is a helium filled floating wind turbine practical? Alaeros has already tested theirs tethered at 500 feet and is attempting a world record 1000 foot where the winds are stronger and steadier. Hmm, perhaps instead of mounting a wind turbine atop a stainless steel pole on our sailboat I should rig a floating turbine in order to charge Encore’s battery bank?
According to a new post in Gizmag, the floating turbine is able to withstand rain and snow as well as winds up to 100 mph. It is hard to imagine every house floating a turbine, but once-upon-a-time television antennas were atop almost every rural house.
Wind turbines on the tops of towers have a few disadvantages and attract criticism on several fronts. They attract they take a long time to install, they make a bit of noise, they pose a threat to birds and some folks consider them a blight on the landscape, making them a bit of a “not in my backyard” proposition in certain areas.
More importantly, the towers aren’t high enough to take advantage of the strong, consistent wind you can get higher up. At 1,000 ft, for example, you can expect about five times more wind than you can at the top of a standard tower.
The Buoyant Air Turbine (BAT) from Altaeros is an inflatable helium shell with stabilizing fins and a turbine in the middle. Strong tethers anchor it to the ground and send the electricity down.
Check out the video from Alaeros Energy.
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