Wind turbines usually jut up from the ground like giant pinwheels. Now a company in China is exploring a new form factor: flying wind turbines. These zeppelin-like aircraft float high in the sky, tethered to the ground only by cables as they generate a nonstop stream of power thanks to the strong winds present in the upper layers of the atmosphere.
Rather than being throttled by capricious ground-level winds—one of the main challenges of current stationary turbines—flying wind turbines’ power throughput will not fluctuate because the wind there is constant. The design could solve some of the biggest problems of wind power generation without having to invest in extensive infrastructure, reducing wind power’s environmental footprint in the process.
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