Airborne Wind Turbines

Presented by
Parag Deshpande

Introduction
An Airborne Wind
Turbine (AWT) is a wind
turbine with a rotor
supported in the air
without a tower.
It is connected to the
ground via tethers. And
in some cases, consist of
a generator on board, or
sometimes on ground.

History of Wind Turbines

The first windmill used
for the production of
electricity was built in
Scotland in July 1887
by Prof James Blyth of
Anderson's College,
Glasgow.
Throughout the 20th
century, many people
developed small wind
stations suitable for
farms or residences,
and larger utility-scale

Types of Wind Turbines

1)Horizontal Axis
Wind Turbine
(HAWT)
2)Vertical Axis
Wind Turbine
(VAWT)
3)Small Wind
turbines
4)Airborne Wind
Turbines (AWE)

Horizontal Axis
Wind Turbine
(HAWT)

Vertical Axis
Wind Turbine
(VAWT)

Airborne Wind Energy

Systems
Types of Airborne Wind Turbines
Ground-Gen systems In which the conversion
of mechanical energy
into electrical energy
takes place on the
ground.

Fly-Gen systems - In
which such conversion is
done on the aircraft in the
air.

Ground-Generator Airborne
Wind Energy Systems
The different types Of
Ground- Gen AWES
a)Leading Edge
Inflatable (LEI) Kite.
b)Supported Leading
Edge (SLE) Kite.
c)Foil Kite (design from
Skysails)
d)Glider (design from
Ampyx Power)
e)Swept rigid wing
(design from Enerkite)
f)Semi-rigid wing (design
from Kitegen)

Ground-Generator Airborne Wind Energy

Systems - Working

During the generation phase, the aircraft is driven in a

way to produce a lift force and consequently a traction
(unwinding) force on the ropes that induce the rotation of
the electrical generators.

Fly-Gen Airborne Wind

Different types of FlyGen AWES
Turbine a)Plane
with four
turbines, design by
Makani Power.
b)Aircraft composed by a
frame of wings and
turbines, design by Joby
Energy.
c)Toroidal lifting aerostat
with a wind turbine in
the center, called BAT
(Buoyant Airborne
Turbine), design by
Altaeros Energies.
d)Static suspension
quad-rotor in

a) Makani Power
This AWT takes off with
the wing plane in a
vertical position, driven
by propellers thrust. This
flight mode is similar to
a quad-copter flight and
rotors on AWT are used
as engines. Once all the
rope length has been
unwound, the AWT
changes flight mode and
becoming a tethered
flight airplane.
In this flight mode a

b) Joby Energy
This is similar to Makani,
but turbines are installed
in the joints of the
frame.
In Joby's concept, the
system is assembled
with modular
components,
constructed from
multiple similar frames
with turbines.
The power generation
method and the take-off

c) Altaeros Energies
Instead of using wings
lift to fly, they use a ring
shaped aerostat with a
wind turbine installed in
its interior.
The whole generator is
lighter than the air, so
the take-off and landing
maneuvers are
simplified, and the only
remaining issue is the
stabilization of the
generator in the right
position relative to the

d) Sky WindPower
It is a large quad rotor with at least three
identical rotors mounted on an airframe
that is linked to a ground station with a
rope having inner electrical cables.
Take-off and landing maneuvers are
similar to those of Makani's and Joby's
but generator operation is different.
Once it reaches the operational altitude,
the frame is inclined at an adjustable
controllable angle relative to the wind (up
to 50) and the rotors switch the
functioning mode from motor to
generator. At this inclined position, the
rotors receive from their lower side a
projection of the natural wind parallel to
their axes. This projection of wind allows
autorotation, thus generating both
electricity and thrust. Electricity flows to
and from the generator through the
cable.
Sky Windpower tested two prototypes.
They claimed that a typical minimum
wind speed for autorotation and energy

Wind Power Locations and

Availability

Future Scope

Though many innovative designs and ideas are patented under this
airborne wind energy sector, commercialization of the technology ideas
has not achieved great success due to various technology and regulatory
challenges, space constraints, noise and aesthetics.

Conclusion

High altitude wind energy is currently a very promising resource for the
sustainable production of electrical energy. The amount of power and the
large availability of winds that blow between 300 and 10000 meters from
the ground suggest that Airborne Wind Energy Systems (AWESs) represent
an important emerging renewable energy technology.

References
Airborne Wind Turbines A Technical Report by
Scope e-Knowledge Centre Pvt. Ltd. July 2013
Airborne Wind Energy Systems: A review of the
technologies
by - Antonello Cherubini, Andrea Papini, Rocco
Vertechy, Marco Fontana
PERCRO SEES, TeCIP Institute, Scuola Superiore
Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy
Department of Industrial Engineering,
University of Bologna, Italy.
Airborne wind energy: Optimal locations and
variability
by Cristina L. Archer, Luca Delle Monache,
Daran L. Rife