Wind turbines have reshaped rural America by boosting incomes, creating jobs, and harnessing local energy sources. However, conventional tower-mounted wind turbines have three main problems that limit their potential: (1) only about 12 percent of communities have strong enough ground winds to make projects economical; (2) installations are too expensive, requiring a crane and concrete foundation; (3) many communities oppose wind, citing noise or avian impact. This project will develop a breakthrough Airborne Wind Turbine (AWT) to expand the potential low cost wind energy in rural communities. The AWT uses a helium-filled inflatable shell to lift a lightweight turbine 50 to 200 stories high, where winds are up to five times stronger than those reached by a tower. A conductive tether holds the AWT steady and sends power to the ground. The lifting technology is adapted from aerostats: tethered blimps that have been used for decades to reliably lift telecom and surveillance equipment into the air for months at a time. The AWT can expand low cost wind power to hundreds or thousands of new rural communities by tapping stronger high altitude winds, reducing installation time, and lowering community impact. The key research objective of this project is to develop and test a fully-functional AWT prototype that demonstrates its potential for commercial deployment. There are three main technical objectives: (i) design and fabricate a rotor and drive train that integrate composite materials and compact design to significantly lower weight relative to leading tower-mounted turbines, (ii) demonstrate extended, autonomous operations of the AWT prototype in real-world environmental conditions, and (iii) demonstrate a communications and controls systems that allows for remote monitoring and control of the AWT prototype. Following on the Phase I feasibility analysis, Phase II will include a requirements definition, the design and fabrication of a custom lightweight turbine, development of the controls and communications infrastructure for remote operation of the AWT, assembly of a sub-scale inflatable shell, and extended duration autonomous testing in real world conditions. Altaeros anticipates that this technology will demonstrate reliable, high capacity power production beyond the current technology of tower-mounted turbines. The main commercial opportunity is to develop a mid-sized AWT that can expand economical wind power to regions with weak ground-level winds. In addition, the AWT can displace expensive diesel fuel used in off-grid generators used at a variety of sites including remote industrial, island and arctic communities, emergency power, and military bases. In the long term, the AWT will be scaled up to provide a solution to harnesses vast offshore wind resources located over deep water. This research supports USDA goals by enhancing rural prosperity by lowering consumer energy rates, increasing electric system reliability, mitigating climate change, decreasing regional pollution and water shortages, and providing new direct turbine lease payments to rural landowners.
