Technological Advances in Airborne Wind Power: A Review

Meghana, A.; Smitha, B.; Jagwani, Shefali

doi:10.1007/978-981-16-1342-5_28

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…A variety of other dispersion methods might be possible with modest engineering improvements, including guyed masts (up to ∼500 m), tethered balloons, and kites like those used for airborne wind power generation [55][56][57][58]. Aerosols could also be lofted in the heated gases from existing smokestacks [59].…”

Section: Aerosol-based Solar Photocatalysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Cost modeling of photocatalytic decomposition of atmospheric methane and nitrous oxide

Randall,

Jackson,

Majumdar

2024

Environ. Res. Lett.

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The photocatalytic decomposition of atmospheric methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) could be valuable tools for mitigating climate change; however, to date, few photocatalyst deployment strategies have had their costs modeled. Here, we construct basic cost models of three photocatalytic CH4 and N2O decomposition systems: 1) a ground-based solar system with natural airflow over photocatalyst-painted rooftops, 2) a ground-based LED-lit system with fan-driven airflow, and 3) an aerosol-based solar system on solid particles dispersed in the atmosphere. Each model takes as inputs the photocatalyst’s apparent quantum yield (AQY; a measure of how efficiently photons drive a desired chemical reaction) and the local CH4 or N2O concentration. Each model calculates an overall rate of greenhouse gas drawdown and returns a levelized cost of greenhouse gas removal per equivalent ton of carbon dioxide (tCO2e). Based on prior studies of atmospheric carbon dioxide removal, we adopt $100/tCO2e as a target cost.We estimate that painting rooftops with photocatalysts might meet the target cost for decomposition of >10ppm CH4 with catalyst AQYs >4%. If painting and cleaning costs were reduced by a factor of ~3 from our scenario, removal of ambient CH4 could meet the cost target with AQYs >1% and removal of ambient N2O could do so with AQYs >0.1%. Fan-driven systems with LED illumination appear to be very challenging, achieving removal costs <$100/tCO2e only for AQYs of >10% for CH4 and >1% for N2O. Dispersing photocatalytic aerosols in the troposphere could be cost-effective with AQYs of >0.4% for ambient CH4 or >0.04% for ambient N2O. However, the mass of aerosols required is large and their side effects and social acceptability are uncertain. We note that, for any system, AQYs on the order of 1% will likely be extremely challenging to achieve with such dilute reagents.

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Section: Aerosol-based Solar Photocatalysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Cost modeling of photocatalytic decomposition of atmospheric methane and nitrous oxide

Randall,

Jackson,

Majumdar

2024

Environ. Res. Lett.

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“…However, this is not an easy task because significant variability in wind turbine design is also apparent, with no specific size-based design threshold. Additionally, there are a variety of "alternative" configurations available on the open market (Bianchini, 2019), such as vertical-axis turbines (Aslam Bhutta et al, 2012), diffuser-augmented wind turbines (Evans et al, 2020), or first prototypes of airborne wind energy (AWE) converters (Meghana et al, 2022). Even though SWTs may still represent a niche application within the wind energy market, they have recently been exhibiting a notable rate of growth concomitant with the diffusion of smart energy systems (Tzen, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Current status and grand challenges for small wind turbine technology

et al. 2022

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Abstract. While modern wind turbines have become by far the largest rotating machines on Earth with further upscaling planned for the future, a renewed interest in small wind turbines (SWTs) is fostering energy transition and smart grid development. Small machines have traditionally not received the same level of aerodynamic refinement as their larger counterparts, resulting in lower efficiency, lower capacity factors, and therefore a higher cost of energy. In an effort to reduce this gap, research programs are developing worldwide. With this background, the scope of the present study is 2-fold. In the first part of this paper, an overview of the current status of the technology is presented in terms of technical maturity, diffusion, and cost. The second part of the study proposes five grand challenges that are thought to be key to fostering the development of small wind turbine technology in the near future, i.e. (1) improving energy conversion of modern SWTs through better design and control, especially in the case of turbulent wind; (2) better predicting long-term turbine performance with limited resource measurements and proving reliability; (3) improving the economic viability of small wind energy; (4) facilitating the contribution of SWTs to the energy demand and electrical system integration; (5) fostering engagement, social acceptance, and deployment for global distributed wind markets. To tackle these challenges, a series of unknowns and gaps are first identified and discussed. Based on them, improvement areas are suggested, for which 10 key enabling actions are finally proposed.

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“…The cost for the higher hub height of HAWTs increases tremendously and the turbine installation becomes more challenging [4]. Airborne Wind Energy Systems (AWES) provide a solution for reaching higher altitudes using fewer materials and lower costs [5]. One of the AWES implementations uses a kite to generate power in pumping cycles [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Airborne Kite Tether Force Estimation and Experimental Validation Using Analytical and Machine Learning Models for Coastal Regions

2022

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Wind power can significantly contribute to the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energies. Airborne Wind Energy (AWE) technology is one of the approaches to tapping the power of high-altitude wind. The main purpose of a ground-based kite power system is to estimate the tether force for autonomous operations. The tether force of a particular kite depends on the wind velocity and the kite’s orientation to the wind vector in the figure-eight trajectory. In this paper, we present an experimental measurement of the pulling force of an Airush Lithium 12 m2 kite with a constant tether length of 24 m in a coastal region. We obtain the position and orientation data of the kite from the sensors mounted on the kite. The flight dynamics of the kite are studied using multiple field tests under steady and turbulent wind conditions. We propose a physical model (PM) using Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) deep neural network algorithms to estimate the tether force in the experimental validation. The performance study using the root mean square error (RMSE) method shows that the LSTM model performs better, with overall error values of 126 N and 168 N under steady and turbulent wind conditions.

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Technological Advances in Airborne Wind Power: A Review

Cited by 4 publications

References 18 publications

Cost modeling of photocatalytic decomposition of atmospheric methane and nitrous oxide

Cost modeling of photocatalytic decomposition of atmospheric methane and nitrous oxide

Current status and grand challenges for small wind turbine technology

Airborne Kite Tether Force Estimation and Experimental Validation Using Analytical and Machine Learning Models for Coastal Regions

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