Although the idea is still in a very early testing phase, researchers from the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands have successfully tethered a high flying kite to a grounded generator and saved the energy produced from the high altitude winds. Their nickname for the project is “The Laddermill” and, by the look of the picture to the left, it’s quite obvious why. It’s estimated that by increasing the number of kites in order to produce 100 megawatts of power, a Laddermill will be able to generate enough energy to power 100,000 homes. The catch is that, to produce that much energy, the kites will have to fly up to 30,000 feet. I guess they won’t be implementing any of these near airports anytime soon. Click ahead to see a video of the trials.
