How can power be produced?
Power can be produced from a kite by flying it in an aggressive pattern downwind of it's tether point and letting the kite out to spin a generator. Using on-board control systems, the kite can be 'de-powered' which allows it to be quickly retracted using much less energy than was produced. A simple illustration of this principle, known as a "pumping kite generator" is shown below:
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Alternatively, power can be produced by mounting turbines on the kite itself and generating power by inducing drag on the kite. The power is then transmitted down the tether electrically, such a system is referred to as an "airborne wind turbine". Commercial groups are pursuing both technologies and only time will tell what the winning configuration will be. However, as renewable energy production is a positive sum game, it is likely that both types of systems will help supply the future energy needs of our growing population. Both of these power production methods are viewed as 'un-patentable' as they were published by M.Loyd during the 1980s in his seminal paper entitled 'Crosswind Kite Power'. [6]