Study Identifies Top Potential Source of High-Altitude Wind Energy
Ken Caldeira of the Carnegie Institution's Department of Global Ecology and Cristina Archer of California State University, Chico, used 28 years of data to determine the top potential sites for harvesting high-altitude wind power.
Winds in high altitudes (around 20,000 to 50,000 feet) have the capacity to power the entire globe up to "100 times over," ScienceDaily says. Harvesting this energy is a feat yet to be achieved though, with issues regarding the machinery to be used and high altitudes' fluctuating winds waiting to be solved. As a preliminary assessment for this energy source, Ken Caldeira of the Carnegie Institution's Department of Global Ecology and Cristina Archer of California State University, Chico, used 28 years of data to determine the top potential sites for energy harvesting. "There is a huge amount of energy available in high altitude winds," says Caldeira. "These winds blow much more strongly and steadily than near-surface winds. Taken from the National Center for Environmental Prediction and the Department of Energy, the data for air density at various altitudes are assessed and termed as "wind power density."
According to the study, the highest wind power densities could be found over Japan, eastern China, south Australia, north-east Africa and east coast of the United States. In the US, Archer claims there is phenomenal potential for winds over New York which tops all the other states when it comes to wind power density. Outside of the US, Tokyo and Seoul are top locations for harvesting as well. Caldeira remains realistic though - he says that while there is enough energy to power the whole world, winds do not blow 24/7, so there should be other sources of energy. Nevertheless, with the sites pinpointed, the only hurdle remaining is coming up with devices that could harness that energy. One suggested technology is a kite-like wind turbine (pictured) that will be sent off to the skies and transmit electricity to the ground via its tether - current designs have the potential to produce up to 40 megawatts of energy.