Laddermill: storing kinetic energy generated by kites

[dz]

Not saying I understand it already, but here you go;

http://www.ockels.nl/

Wubbo Ockels site

[windhorny]

Holy crap Ramsey, this is exactly what you were talking about and trying to keep a secret huh?

[Greg]

right, get forty kites flying on a cable 10k into the sky...
Oh-ya! I can see the investers lining up already.

whatever that guys smok'n should be outlawed,
L.M.G.

[dz]

my brother is an engineer and has a windmill, not like he is saying anything enlightening, but this is his comment:

"Concept cool. It is a no brainer that going higher gets you more wind.
Control is the issue here didn't look at everything but that is going
to be the bitch. I guess you could figure a way to feather wings kites at top
and relaunch them at bottom automatically. I figure dealing with gusts and
even just keeping the thing aloft will require some fairly sophisticated
controls but maybe there is some simple way. since they have light strong
materials drive part seem possible. don't know how well things like spectra wear?"

[ramsey]

yeah yuri i was talking about this a while back. I've seen a number of different ideas using kites to generate power. What I wanted to know but never found out is "Is a looping kite more efficient than a windmill?"

I guess I could get a windmill and tie it to some line and see if it will pull me on the water. Somehow i doubt that would work.

[windhorny]

A looping kite might produce more power but it would be delivered in a more linear force than rotational, making it kinda hard to perpetually generate from it. But there is always a way!